The Travelers Future
by nariai
Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert]
1. Being Reborn

_Important!_

 _As some of you might have noticed, I've started editing some of my stories once again. Correcting some of the worst mistakes in this story has become my newest goal, so it might be some time until I update it once again._

 _I only hope that once I'm finished, 'The Travelers Future' will be better than it is now._

 _nariai_

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 **This is my first PJO fanfiction and I hope you will enjoy it. The characters might seem OOC; for example Nico wont be gay but bisexual (I don't have anything against homosexual people, it will just fit better with my plot). There will be other changes, which will be explained later in the story. I decided to write a SI story, because there aren't many of those for PJO. If there is anything you do not like, you are welcome to PM me. I would appreciate it if you would leave a review.**

 **Warning!: In this story there might be some mentions of incest, sexual references or death of characters.**

 **This story was inspired by AriesOrion and her story Princess of the Sea.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't know why everyone in writing those because, well, this is a fanfiction website, so I obviously do not own PJO.**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. Self-Insert**

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 _Edited on the 14th of September 2016  
_

 _Edited on the 6th of October 2017_

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 _Chapter 1_

 _Being Reborn_

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 _"I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens."_

 _― Woody Allen_

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I remembered reading a lot in my previous life. Books with different genres ranging from fantasy, romance and adventure to thriller, horror and tragedy.

My brother used to say that I had read more than the rest of our family put together.

He wasn't wrong.

There weren't many things we could do in our small town and I preferred staying inside our warm house instead of facing the harsh climate outside more often than not.

As such, I spent most of my time devouring books as it was my favorite pastime. I only allowed a handful of things to interrupt it.

Animes and fanfictions being highest on that list. My friends and their rather reckless 'adventures' weren't too far behind.

One of those adventures had a rather deadly end when it came to me.

Back then, when I was still a seventeen-years-old girl who lived in a small town in Russia, I had oftentimes made rather stupid choices. I had been a dreamer whom possessed a laughable amount of naivety.

At that time, I had been called Nadia and there had been nothing I wished for more than to escape my rather mundane life in our small community. I had wished to move into a big city, study at a University and travel around the world. Different cultures interested me, especially the Japanese one.

I should have looked more into mythology, especially the Greek and Roman one.

Though, it's not as if such knowledge could have prepared me for what was to happen to me in the future.

Nothing could have, really.

Dying and then being reborn wasn't something anyone expected, especially when it happened during a night out with some friends.

My parents often liked to complain about me having my 'rebellious phase' and behaving like a complete brat. Just like my brother, they weren't wrong.

Like any other child—And, no matter how much I had liked to deny it, back then I had indeed been a child.—I had defied my parents at the most inopportune moments. So, when one day my friends invited me to a party, I did not even stop to think about how much of a bad idea sneaking away would be.

Following the horde was the last mistake I made in my first life.

One of my friends had been a little bit of an addict. That evening she had bought some 'good stuff' from one of her _friends_ and decided that we all just had to try it. Only my best friend and I denied. Unfortunately, she found our decision making skills lacking and chose to mix some of her dubious drug into our drinks.

There is one thing I was forced to learn very intimately that night.

 _Drugs and alcohol do not mix well._

I was not quite sure why I died; was it poisoning or an overdose?

The cause of my death was luckily a secret and it would hopefully stay that way. Some things were just better left unknown.

Besides, I remembered enough to forever hate that time of the year.

It was on a cold winter night that Nadia Ivanovna Dostoevskaia died. The exact date being December 11th 2013.

That day my story should have ended, but the truth was that it had just begun.

(...later, I would realize that I did not remember everything from the time after my death, but if I had to pinpoint the moment when I started to gain a semblance of self-awareness, then it would be inside... _my new mother's womb..._

...

...I wasn't completely there, of course...

...

...

...even my new _heritage_ did not make this second body of mine strong enough to accommodate the mind of a teen inside an embryo or even an infant...)

There wasn't much I recognized during the time following my death, only two things stood out.

First, I wasn't alone.

Second, there was some weird shit going on with my 'body'.

(...This odd warmth certainly wasn't supposed to course through what I thought to be my body...)

I am ashamed to admit—With all that I have read about it I should have noticed the truth sooner.—that it was only at the very end that I realized what was going on.

It was only on the day of my _rebirth_ that I finally understood what was happening.

I will spare you the gruesome details because I am sure you do not want to know them, but let me tell you, being born is one of the most traumatic experiences one can have.

On January 28th 1931 a pair of twins was born. Nico and Nora di Angelo, the children of Maria di Angelo. The younger siblings of Bianca di Angelo. And most importantly, the titles by which we would be remembered for centuries: Son and Daughter of Hades, The Twins of the Underworld.

The day I was born, unlike my twin brother, I cried a lot. I was so shocked and scared that I just couldn't stop. Maria—my new mother—tried everything to calm me down, but it didn't work. There was nothing she could have done to help me.

I had _died_ and proceeded to be _reborn_ into some unknown place. With my rebirth came the natural inability to see and move freely. Even my hearing was muffled. Admittedly, hearing better wouldn't have done me any good, after all, I did not speak _Italian._

I believe my mother had almost worried herself to death that night. She probably thought I was sick.

After all, I did cry until I passed out.

The next time I woke up, I was laying inside a crib besides my new _brother._ Hid presence was surprisingly comforting and I did not mind the touch of my _older sister_ either.

Although I always pretended to be an adult, the choice for my next course of action disproved that.

 _Denial could be such a wonderful thing._

My first hypothesis was that I was high from the drugs the other girl must have put into my drink.

The second one was that this was just a dream and I would wake up soon.

But that did not happen because even a few week later I was still there. And there was also the fact that everything was too detailed for it to be something measly as a dream.

After a few months had passed, I was forced to grudgingly accept that I had been reborn.

Each day spent in this new place seemed to make my situation even worse. Weird things kept on happening, a good example being the shadows _always_ surrounding us. Sometimes, I thought that I could will them to move.

Then there were the names of my new family. Individually they meant nothing, together they were painfully familiar to me.

Nico di Angelo, Bianca di Angelo and Maria di Angelo. All names that I was familiar with.

I had read them in a book.

 _Percy Jackson_

What were the chances of me being reborn as a demigod? As a daughter of Hades? I would like to think that they were minimal.

Thus my never ending denial continued. Accepting my rebirth was one thing, acknowledging the fact that I was now a part of a fictional world was a whole other matter.

My whole family being named after some book characters prompted my first excuse. Telling myself that these names were just popular in Italy wasn't too hard.

When I noticed that everyone looked like those characters, I just thought of the fact that all Italians had dark hair.

Those weird things my siblings or I sometimes did. Oh, I was just being paranoid.

And so I continued living. Weeks went by and nothing changed. Being a baby was one of the most humiliating things ever. Luckily, my mother took personally care of us or I would have been embarrassed even more. Imagine some stranger constantly seeing you naked or cleaning you after you did your business.

 _Lovely._

In those weeks I spent with my new family, I also learned to love them.

My mother, Maria, was such a sweet thing. She was the best mother one could ask for. Caring, nice and in possession of much more compassion and understanding than I would ever have.

Then there was my older sister, Bianca. She was almost two years older than us. I did not know what was considered to be normal for children her age, but she seemed to be quite intelligent.

And lastly there was my twin brother, Nico. He was probably the most important out of them all. Though his young age made it impossible to gauge his true character, his soothing presence still helped me through the slight depression I went through in my first few weeks in this new world.

I also noticed a few odd things as the days slowly progressed, among them that us three siblings were the most active at night. The darkness gave us comfort, but I tried to ignore that to the best of my ability.

I became quite good at ignoring things or people.

Often, when we couldn't sleep, our mother would put us into a big bed together. She secured the sides with pillows so we wouldn't fall off the bed. It was those nights that I enjoyed the most. Nico and I would lay besides each other and Bianca at one of our sides, embracing us.

After a few weeks that was the only way any of us could fall asleep.

The three of us shared some kind of bound. For example Bianca was once in our garden and hurt herself. I knew that she was hurt without seeing her, and so did Nico. We could literally _feel_ her pain, so we cried with her. Other times Bianca would immediately know that we were hungry or needed something else. She would lead or mother into the nursery and tell her exactly—or as exactly as a not even two years old could—what was wrong.

I was aware that our connection wasn't normal, however, I once again I chose to disregard it.

And so the days continued with our mother taking care of us and us siblings spending almost all the time together. I believed that only strengthened our bound.

There were only a few things that I disliked about that time. One of them being the inability to take care of myself. The other was the language barrier. In my previous life I never learned Italian, but I grasped everything pretty fast.

It most likely had something to do with my infant brain. Learning a new language should not have been so easy, nor should the most mundane games been as interesting as I now found them to be.

A blessing from the gods.

(...the irony was laughable...)

We lived in Venice, Italy. It was the time before World War II and I feared for my family. Migrating into the USA was one of my goals nowadays.

Not something easily done, but mayhap not as unattainable as some might believe. Maria di Angelo, despite her status as a single mother to three _bastard_ children, had a lot of money. She wasn't buying new things every day and our house wasn't the biggest either, but she was a woman in the early 1930s with three children out of wedlock and a obviously stable if dubious income.

Our little family should not have been this well off.

I always had to stop these thoughts because they could lead to questions about my new father. Facing _that_ burning house wasn't something I was ready to do just yet.

And so the weeks changed into months. It was quite boring and repetitive until everything changed when Nico and I were five months old.

When one of the most life changing events of my existence happened, it was still dark outside, but morning wasn't too far away anymore. By that time our mother had already given up on trying to separate us for sleep. We were laying on the big bed in our favorite position.

Even I was asleep.

And yet, something was there, urging me to wake up.

And so I did.

My siblings must have felt a similar sensation because they followed not far behind.

Above us stood a man. He seemed to be in his early twenties. Dark hair and eyes matched perfectly and his pale skin only made them more striking.

I had never seen someone so handsome before.

There was something otherworldly about him. The man did not seem, no, could not be human. The moment he entered the room the air became thicker, his aura filling the whole area.

Powerful wasn't the proper word to describe him.

The shadows also behaved weirdly. They clung to him even more then they did to us. I should have been afraid that very moment. The man wasn't human, I was sure of that. It was something that even I could not deny.

At his side, I felt safer than ever before. His power seemed to embrace us, protecting us like a shield.

I felt warm, giddy and so _very_ happy.

For the first time in this new life—No, ever.—I felt whole. With my siblings and that man in the room I felt as if I needed nothing more in life.

" _Papa?_ " It was Bianca who broke the silence. She looked uncertain, as if she was seeing a ghost.

The man's lips curved slightly and his eyes seemed to soften. He reached out with both of his hands and picked the small girl up.

"Daughter." His voice was deep and strong, yet there was also a lot of affection entailed in this one word.

Only a few seconds later I finally registered their words.

 _Papa? Daughter?_

That couldn't be.

And yet, I could not bring myself to panic as I watched the man kiss Bianca's forehead. Then he placed her on the bed and his eyes fell upon Nico and me.

They softened a little more. "Twins. I have been blessed with twins."

By the time he finished his sentence I was already sitting up. Even though it tired my young body, I managed to do it in record time. I couldn't stop myself from reaching out to him with my small arms.

The curve of his lips got slightly wider as he picked me up. In his arms I instantly cooed at him and touched his face with my small hands.

"Nora, my youngest." He whispered, almost breathlessly.

A small whimper interrupted our moment and as we both looked down we saw Nico copying my action. He was sitting on the bed and reaching out to us with his small arms. The man adjusted hid hold on me and picked him up.

He looked at my brother, with love in his eyes. "Nico, my son."

Kissing our foreheads, the stranger sat down besides Bianca. "I am Hades, little ones, and I am your father."

The world seemed to stop moving for a moment, then it continued spinning thrice as fast.

I knew what I had to do to save my family and to save myself. I would not let our father abandon us. This may have sounded naive, but what other choice did I have? Not only were we three demigods living together in close proximity, no, we were three demigod children of Hades, one of the Big Three. Our little entourage would attract monsters like honey attracted bees.

We could not afford to lose our father, no matter what. He was our best chance at survival. Besides I could already feel a kindling of love for him starting to burn inside of me. A life without him was not an option.

However, for now the nightmarish future I had once read about held no meaning because we were all together. Hades—No, our father.—was laying in the middle of the bed. Bianca and Nico snuggled into each of his sides and me on top of him.

I tried to stay awake, to force myself to spend as much time as I could with this man whom I had met that day for the first time, yet felt as if I had known him for my whole both lives.

Despite my resistance, sleep soon embraced me.

It was in the early morning hours that our father started to move, ready to leave. None of us wanted that. Our small fist grabbed his clothing with all the strength that we had.

No, he couldn't leave us.

Hades' reassurance allowed us to relax. "Do not worry. I'll come back soon, little ones. "

And come back he did. It was two days later that he came. Once again our mother did not see him. He might have actually done it on purpose.

This conclusion should have angered me more than it did, but the relief of seeing him again was too big for me to even care about 'small' details like that.

In the days leading to it we were all a little antsy. I trusted my father, even without knowing him, but I still feared being abandoned by this God.

When he came that night we practically threw ourselves at him. Then we laid down in my new favorite position and he told us tales about his life and Greece.

I wouldn't let anyone shatter this.


	2. Pristine Glass

**Well, here is the second chapter. It took me some time to finish it and I hope that I haven't made to many mistakes. Like always I would appreciate it if you would leave a review and hope that you will enjoy this chapter.**

 **Anyway, I wrote a disclaimer in the first chapter and I wont be writing one again.**

 **If you have any suggestions to how I could make this story better please write me.**

 **Rating for this chapter: T**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. Self-Insert**

 **Have fun.**

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 _Edited on the 18th of June 2016_ **  
**

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 _Chapter 2_

Pristine Glass

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 _"All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair."  
― Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven_

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My life continued happily for the next three years. It even had a special routine.

My siblings and I slept a lot of more during the day, so that we wouldn't be sleepy when night came. When we didn't sleep we spend time with our mother or played childish games with each other. One might think that they would have bored me, but it was the exact opposite. Thank the gods for the baby brain.

Anyway, our father came to visit us almost each night. We didn't do much during those visits. To be honest, I could not imagine Hades playing baby games with us.

However, sometimes he would tell us interesting stories, other times he would be completely silent.

Those times he didn't look human. His eyes were darker than ever, with a red tinge to them. The shadows seemed to be swallowing him. During those nights he would look out of the window, the anger rolled out of him in waves.

It was also during those times, that I saw my father for what he truly was. _A god._

I also realized that Bianca, Nico and I were probably his exceptions. We were the only ones whom he treated so nicely. With such care and gentleness.

And when I saw him angered, felt his power violently thrashing under his skin, I was glad to be his exception.

In my previous life, I did not think that I would have been ready to accept a person like Hades so easily. But my moral compass changed a lot since then.

I do not know which of my experiences changed me so much. Could it have been my death? Surely, but that wasn't the only factor. Being reborn into a family in which half of it was fated to die and knowing the future of the other half, changed people. But in this new life I also saw how cruel humans could truly be.

It wasn't the best decade for Italy. It still hadn't recovered from The Great Depression, many people had a really bad life. Let's not forget that in less then five years World War II would break out. I could only hope that by then our father would have taken us somewhere far, far away. Somewhere safe.

On another note, I remember the time when our mother had taken us to a market one day. It was about two months ago, back then there was no one who could have watched us, so Maria had to take us with her. Normally, there was Eva, our maid-Yes we had a maid. My mother did not want her but my father insisted.-, who took care of the groceries or stayed with us when mother had business to take care of, but two days before she had to leave because she was with child. It was getting to hard for her to take care of us and her replacement was not coming for the next two days.

And so our mother took us out for the first time in our lives.

Venice was beautiful.

There were many canals, watery graves and boats. We squeezed through alleyways that were crumbling into ruin and oozing with authenticity. I could see Venice's palaces, churches, and other buildings, supported by thousands of wooden pilings that dated back hundreds of years. The luminous spectacle of ornate marbled palaces, bell towers, and domes reflected in the sparkling waters. The houses that lined the streets and canals of the city ranged from the poorest blocks to the great palaces.

With all the streets and alleys I was amazed that my mother did not get lost. She was holding Nico's and my hands, Bianca was holding my other one, and leading us down the streets. If I had been by myself, I wouldn't have been able to find anything.

There were many people out there, who were just like us going to the market. The weather was just beginning to cool down and everyone wanted to be finished with their shopping as fast as they could.

As I watched the buildings, the lack of true electricity and the clothes the people wore, I felt lost.

The woman wore hats and long conservative dresses-which could also be described as prude compared to what woman in the twenty-first century wore, or is it would wear?-and the men also had hats and suits.

 _I did not belong here._

It was back then that I realized that I wasn't just in another world or universe, but also in another time. Thinking that made me strangely nostalgic.

Would I ever be able to use a computer again? Drive a car? Phone someone with a cellphone?

Would I live long enough to witness the 21st century?

I would have most likely continued dwelling on those thoughts if it weren't for my mother, who snapped me out of them. She was tugging us down a street, weaving expertly through the masses of people.

Can you imagine my shock at seeing through the mist for the first time? It was when we were walking along one water canal, that I saw three water nymphs. They must have been the prettiest woman I had ever seen.

One had auburn hair, which almost seemed like fire, the other two had black hair that was as dark as the night sky. Their eyes were a deep ocean blue and their skin almost as pale as mine.

But it wasn't their unnatural beauty which identified them as something supernatural, no, it were the scales running along their skin. Some were on their arms and a few even near their eyes. Their hands were almost claw like. At one angle I might have even seen a pair of gills.

I was so shocked at seeing them, that a small gasp escaped my lips. My mothers attention immediately went to were I was looking at. Sadly, she couldn't see them, but my siblings did. After they squinted their eyes at the place where the nymphs were residing, delighted gasps escaped them.

Our mother did not seem as delighted after we told her about the pretty fish woman. She dragged us away from the water.

This wasn't the last supernatural we saw that day. For example there had been a four-armed merchant at the market. Maria bought pretty apples at his stand. I hoped they weren't poisonous.

After buying some meat for dinner we headed home. It was only when the door closed that I noticed how tense my mother had been all the time. She probably knew of the dangers the outside world held for us. Water nymphs were the least of our worries.

Now, two months later, I was glad that our mother took us with her. Who knew for how long we would have been kept in the house, without the possibility to see Venice, if she hadn't.

Our father hadn't been happy with her decision and assigned a fury to watch over us. She only left when our father was there, otherwise she always stayed near our home and warded monsters off.

Another unexpected thing that happened in the last three years was that our connection extended to our father. You know, the one we three shared and that bonded us impossibly close together.

Now, the four of us were like constant presences in each others minds. I could always feel them in my head. Our father, if he concentrated on it, could feel our emotions very clearly. We couldn't feel his like he did ours, but we still were very sensitive to what he was feeling. The best way to explain this was that for example we knew that he was angry but we couldn't feel his anger.

It would be too dangerous for us, at such a young age, to be exposed to the full emotions of a god. Before we realized what was happening between us, Hades once accidentally exposed us to his feelings. It was only for a few seconds, but it had a really bad effect on us. We became sick and wouldn't wake up for a few days.

After that Hades had a tight grip on his emotions.

Anyhow, this talk about emotions wasn't held without a reason. Because right now, the moment Hades entered the room, I knew that something was wrong. He looked like he always did, dark hair, eyes and clothes. An impassive look on his face. He behaved as if everything was all right.

Unfortunately, his emotions said a completely other thing. Nothing was all right.

Yet, he continued to act normal. Hades continued to walk towards our bed, his lips, like always when he looked at us, were curved slightly.

''Little ones.'' His voice was soft and silent, but he did not need to talk louder. I doubt that anyone dared to ever ignore him. Those who did had long ceased to exist.

Small whimpers escaped our lips as we looked at him. Hades sat down on the bed and his eyes softened ever so slightly. ''So young, yet so sensitive to my emotions.''

'' _Papa?_ What happening?'' My voice shook slightly, when I asked him this question. Before he could answer it, Nico interrupted him. ''Something wrong, _Papa?_ "'

''Everything is fine, my children.'' Hades sounded more like he tried to convince himself, rather than us. He picked me up and laid me down on his chest, then Bianca and Nico snuggled into his sides.

''I will tell you a story.'' He paused. ''It is a very special one so you need to listen intently. Do you understand?''

We nodded our heads.

Father's expression was somber when he started telling us his story. ''Once upon a time a foolish man tried to steal from a god. It was no jewel or relic that he sought, but the god's wife herself. And so he entered his realm without permission.''

''Are you talking about you, _papa?_ " Nico asked curiously.

I cocked my head to the right. ''About Par...Per. _..Persephone?_ ''

The god looked a little surprised at our questions, as if he did not expect us to know. After all, we were only three years old and had still a few problems with our speech. Our knowledge about his wife must have been quiet surprising to hear. He probably thought that we did not understand what we were talking about.

How wrong he was. Bianca was a lot of smarter than your average child and I was mentally older than I looked.

''Did your mother teach you about her?'' The way he spoke was strained and full of suspicions. Through the years I had learned that my father was highly paranoid. It did not help that the relationship between my parents was getting worse with each day. Hades probably thought that Maria tried to make us go against him.

Sometimes I wondered if mother regretted meeting our father. If she perhaps regretted having us.

''Yes. _Mamma_ has been teaching us about methologie.'' Bianca stated proudly, batting her lashes. I giggled slightly at her mistake. My siblings could be so cute.

''Mythology, Bianca, mythology.'' Our father corrected her and relaxed a little. Now that he knew that our mother did not try to make us hate him, he seemed relieved. But that did not mean that he wouldn't start watching our interactions with her intently. Did that make him into a stalker? Probably.

''Anyway, let's continue. Shall we?'' We only nodded our heads vigorously. ''The man's name was Pirithous. After having pledged to carry off a daughter of Zeus, he choose Persephone as his aim. Together with Theseus he entered the Underworld. I, of course, knew what he was planing to do and took great offense from it. Both men traveled for a long time and had to cross many hardships. When they stopped to rest, they found themselves unable to stand up from a rock as they saw the Furies appear before them. Furies I personally send to them.

Another hero, Heracles, managed to free Theseus, but the crime Pirithous has committed against me was to great. The crime of wanting the wife of one of the great gods as his own bride. And so the earth shook when he attempted to liberate Pirithous, denying his freedom. He was cursed to forever stay in the Underworld, paying for his sin. Some say he lingers there up to today."

Bianca pouted a little. ''That was not a happy story, _papa.''_

''Not all stories are happy, Bianca. But why don't you tell me what you have learned from that story.'' The god suggested, his tone was light but there was something dark in his eyes.

Nico was the first to answer. Out of us three siblings, he was the most bubbly one. ''Not to steal from a god?''

Bianca was the next. ''Not to rest in the Underworld.''

Hades looked pointedly at me. I did not quiet know what he wanted to hear from us, but it seemed to me as if it was something important. ''Not to anger you?''

It was obvious that none of our answers were right, mine even made him slightly uncomfortable. ''Stealing from a god is something I wouldn't recommend to anyone. It is unwise. You three are my children, which means that there are different rules applying to the Underworld for you than for others. Lastly, I would appreciate it if you would not anger me, but even then I would never harm you.''

He looked as if he considered what he should say next. If I didn't know better, I would say that he looked a little unsure of himself. ''No. What this tale was meant to teach you is that gods are selfish and cruel. We do not like to share.'' He gave us a pointed look. ''We do not like being crossed. And those who dare go against us will be heavily punished. If we claim something as ours, it is not to be touched by others. Whether it seems guarded or not. We always watch what is ours.''

It felt as if he tried to give us a message. Tried to make us understand something. I just did not know what. It were his next words that made everything clear.

''Even if I am not here, I will always protect you. If you ever need my help, the only thing you need to do is pray.''

Bianca and Nico looked confused, but for me his words started to slowly sink in. ''What you mean, _papa?_ '' My twin began. ''Why wouldn't you be here?''

Hades slowly put me on the bed and started to stand up. It looked as if his actions physically pained him. ''All will be understood in due time.''

With small steps he moved backwards, the shadows swallowing him. Soon Hades was no more.

He left. Our father was gone and he wasn't coming back.

And so we screamed bloody murder.

* * *

A few minutes later Maria came into our room. No matter what she tried to do, mother just couldn't calm us down. She did not understand what was happening. She never would.

I did not know what made me cry and panic like this. Were it the emotions of my sibling, which so clearly vibrated through my mind? Was it the knowledge of the future that lay before us without our father? Or maybe it was me already missing my him?

After all, I was too old-at least mentally-to be acting like this.

But even as I kept telling myself that, I could not stop the tears from falling and the cries from escaping my lips. Neither could my sibling.

Poor Maria.

The woman tried everything to calm us down. She gave us something to eat and drink. Asked if something was hurting us or if we were feeling sick.

She never got an answer.

Hours later, too tired to cry any more, we fell asleep.

Only to continue our 'tantrum' or 'panic attack' the next day. We did not eat, we did not drink, we only cried. I don't know what we tried to accomplish with that. Later I would find out that we were unconsciously reaching out to our father.

* * *

Hades was not a happy god.

For the last three days he has been feeling the rising panic of his children. Through his life he had had many children. Yet none mattered as much as those three. He did not know when it happened, but in only three years they had become the center of his world. His only true weakness.

And that was something he could not allow himself to have. His brothers already started to notice that something was happening and he could not let them find out about his three children. It would be their end.

He could not let that happen.

The children were better off without him. Safer, at least.

For some time they could continue living normally among the humans. Without mortal dangers. The fury he had send to them should keep most monsters away and the other gods would not concern themselves with the mere appearance of a fury.

Sometimes, he wondered if the fates had something to do with his current situation. Having two children with the same mortal woman was quiet uncommon for him, but three, that was untold.

Besides it seemed a lot like something they would do.

But for now that did not matter, what mattered were his children, who were currently in panic. The emotions he was getting from them were quiet intense, there was fear, sorrow and above all else longing.

It took all of his self control to not go to them, just one last time. Which would change into another visit and continue like this.

But gods did not like being denied what they perceived as rightfully theirs and the threat of his brothers denied him his children. That made him very _angry._

An angry god meant nothing good. Especially for mortals.

The grip on his powers loosened and he knew that there were earthquakes all over the world. He had to control himself or Hollywood, where the entrance to his domain lay, would soon cease to exist. He quiet liked it there.

The next three days Hades, the God of the Dead, perceived as the biggest torture he ever had to go through. This statement, coming from him, said a lot.

Anyway, three days after leaving his children-he did not abandon them-the fates must have taken pity on him.

It was after those three days that a prayer reached him. During this century it was rare for people to pray to him. Not many people prayed to him in the ancient times, now even less.

But it was not the prayer itself that saved him, no, it was the person who was asking him for help.

 _Maria di Angelo_

For once happy that his wife wasn't there to ask questions about his plans, he left the Underworld with a valid excuse to visit his mortal children.

Maybe it was their mortality that drew him in? But just as the thought formed in his head, he put it away. He had already had mortal children before. Their mortality didn't matter in that regard.

It took him mere seconds to arrive in front of the di Angelo house. Out of courtesy he knocked on the door.

A few minutes passed till he heard footsteps nearing the door. There was also the sound of glass shattering on the floor. He heard someone curse silently in Italian.

 _Maria._ He thought and when the door opened his suspicions were confirmed.

The woman did not look like she normally did. She had dark rings under her eyes and her clothes were crinkled and worn out. Maria was pale and stressed.

He did not even need to ask what was going on, because the moment the door opened he instantly heard the children crying.

''Thank the gods that you are here, _mio caro.''_ One of her hands went through her open hair. ''The children, they wont stop crying. They aren't eating or drinking anything. I know that I shouldn't call you here without a reason, but I do not know what to do. And the neighbors are threatening to call the police.''

Hades just nodded his head. ''I will go see them now.''

It was mere moments later that he entered the children's room. Things were thrown all around the room, the curtains were shut close and in the middle of the room, on the bed, his three children lay crying.

When he saw them in this state, he instantly let his aura cover them like a blanket.

One moment they were crying, the next they were quiet, looking straight at him. Big black eyes wide as plates.

His oldest, Bianca, crawled forward on the bed. '' _Papa?_ Is that you?''

Her voice was raw from all the crying, her eyes red rimmed and tear streaks were running down her cheeks. Her siblings did not look any better.

Once again he nodded his head. ''Bianca.'' Then he looked at the two younger children behind her, they were watching him with wide, black eyes. ''Nico. Nora."

He saw them launch themselves at him, as if their life depended on it. Their small hands clutched in his clothing.''Shh..It is fine. I am here now.''

Nora looked at him, her lips quivering. ''You not leaving?'' It was a question and a statement at the same time.

''Never.''


	3. Changes in Life

**I hope you will enjoy this chapter! Please let me know!**

 **Rose1414: I actually haven't noticed that I used so many commas. I will try to use less of them.**

 **Rating for this chapter: T**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. Self-Insert**

* * *

 _Edited on the 20th of June 2016_ **  
**

* * *

 _Chapter 3_

 _Changes in Life_

* * *

 _Save me, I think I'm losing my mind.  
You said you'd come for me when the world swallows me whole.  
Well, this is war.  
Save me, 'cause the battles won but the war is still to fight.  
You said you'd come for me when the world swallows me whole.  
Well, this is war.  
Well, this is war._  
― _WAR by Former Vandal_

* * *

I had never been a fan of history, it had actually always been one of my least liked subjects. It may have been because of my crappy history teacher or my general dislike for it. I never learned more than I needed to learn, never did more than I needed to do. I just had to pass.

However, there were a few events about that everyone should know at least something; The French Revolution, World War I and World War II were some of them.

It was on the 1st of September 1939 that World War II broke out. I don't know what I had been expecting, maybe people running on the streets in panic, bombs exploding, just something tremendous. After all, so many people would die-died?-in this war, so many bad things would happen, yet the day began like every other one.

We slept in that day and woke up some time before noon, ate breakfast and got ready for our classes. Like for the last two years, our private teacher came some time after we finished eating. Miss Albini was a strict teacher, but she never raised a hand against us. After a year of her teaching I realized that she was a gorgon. It was no wonder that she never beat us when we misbehaved during her lessons, she knew exactly what our father would do if she did.

She mostly taught us about Greek Mythology, how to read and write in ancient Greek and the basics of English. I must say that I had been quiet surprised when I tried to read a book for the first time only to notice that I couldn't. I mean, I knew that I would have dyslexia, but it was something I hadn't truly accepted till I tried it for the first time.

Luckily, Miss Albini brought us many books written in ancient Greek. My siblings weren't as thrilled by them as I was. Well, we all had our quirks. I, an eight-years-old reincarnated girl, loved to read books in ancient Greek. Nico was obsessed with mythomagic cards. Everything the books said about those was true. Bianca liked drawing and she was quiet good at it. In the future she could become quiet the artist.

I was rambling again, wasn't I?

Miss Albini finished that day's lesson with the story about Theseus and gave us some homework. Thereafter we played a game of tag and helped mother prepare dinner.

With each hour that passed by I felt more nervous than before. I was waiting for something big to happen, even though I knew that it was irrational. My siblings, who were affected by my emotions, were quiet anxious themselves. Mother did not notice anything.

A knock on the door, just before sunset, made me almost hyperventilate. Call me paranoid or crazy, but for a few seconds I thought that someone was there to kill us. That thought dissipated quickly when father's comforting presence washed over me.

It was my mother who opened the door. Following straight behind her, I managed to glimpse her face morphing with surprise at the sight of my father.

''Hades?'' The man in question hadn't changed even a bit in all the years I had known him. He still looked as if he were in his early twenties. His dark eyes filled with wisdom and understanding way beyond our age.

''Maria.'' The god nodded his head towards his former lover and then he leveled his gaze on us. ''Little ones.''

Three identical grins split on our faces as we rushed forward into our fathers arms. _"Papa.''_ Our mother stumbled out of our way and Hades caught us three at the same time, enveloping us into a big hug.

The moment did not last long because only a few second later our father let us go and straightened up. His posture was stiff and his eyes as hard as steel. He kept us near him, but that wasn't hard as we were practically clinging to his legs. When he spoke it was loud and clear. ''Maria, I need you to pack the children's and your things. We will be leaving in two hours.''

Our mother looked confused, after all she had no idea what was going on. Personally, I had my suspicions. Father probably knew what began today and wanted to take us far, far away. Preferably to the other end of the world, where the war wouldn't have a too large impact.

''What do you mean?Why would I..." The god did not let her finish her sentence before he interrupted her. ''I believe you did not understand me correctly. This was not a request but a demand.''

Maria shut her mouth immediately, but I could see the anger in her eyes. I personally did not like the way he talked to her either and let my displeasure be know through our bound. Then I looked at my siblings and took their hands. ''Come. Let us help _mamma_.''

We walked into our room in silence, our father slowly following behind us. There I took a big, brown leather bag from under the bed. To be honest, I had no idea where the bag came from. It had just always been there.

I started to pack my books and favorite items into it. My siblings followed my example.

"Pack only the things you truly need or will miss. The rest we can buy later." Hades stood in the doorway and looked down at us.

" Of course, _papa_." We chorused together. While my siblings continued packing I looked at our father.

There must have been something in my look because he sighted heavily. "What is it that you want to know, Nora?"

A small blush spread on my cheeks, from what I did not know. Maybe because he caught me staring. But it was good that he asked that question, there truly was something I wanted to know. "Where are we going, _papa?_ "

Hearing my question, Nico and Bianca stopped packing. They were just as curious as I was and I was sure that our father could feel it.

"The place is called Washington and it is very far away." He answered me.

Nico's eyes seemed to brighten. "Are we going on an adventure? And where is very far away?"

Did I ever mention how adorable, yet annoying Nico could be. With his endless chatter and puppy-dog eyes I sometimes did not know wether I should strangle or cuddle him. Right now it was both.

Even without the bound I could tell that father was slightly stressed. I did not blame him for that, after all I was quiet sure that it wouldn't be easy to smuggle us out of Italy without any of the other gods noticing.

"You could say that. And you are moving to America, Nico.'' Hades ever the patient person, at least to us-I doubted he presented others with that much patience-,answered Nico's questions without a sign of irritation.

After we packed our things, father picked up our bag and lead us to the entrance. Our mother was already there waiting for us. She must have seen our father helping us pack and did not want to bother us. Sometimes I felt truly sorry for her. Because even now, with such trivial things, we were excluding her from our small 'group'.

Sadly, there wasn't anything I could do against it. Nico, Bianca and I, we all loved our mother and I believe that father, in his own way, cared about her, too. But fact was that she just did not understand. She did not share our connection, did not have any of the powers we had or would have, she was just human and because of that we could not fault her for not understanding.

''Where are we going?'' It was mother's voice that forced me to focus on the world outside my thoughts.

Father seemed to contemplate if he should answer her, but before he could refuse or do anything else, I answered for him. ''Washington, America.''

Maria looked stunned for a moment. I would have been too if someone suddenly told me that I had to move half across the world without a reason. Her gaze locked with Hades' and they seemed to have a silent conversation. Then she just sighed and ran one of her hands through her hair. "How are we going to get there?''

That was something which interested me as well. After all, I did not think that we could fly in a plain or take a ship. If we did that, we would be entering Poseidon's or Zeus' domains. As far as family love goes, I did not think that they would welcome us with open arms.

''We wont be going there together. You will go alone and take a ship, while the children accompany me through the Underworld. We will escort you now to the port, the ship will be departing in one hour.''

Maria looked crushed, as if Hades just slapped her. In some ways she was being excluded once again and she knew it. She knew that her children were drifting away from her, that she was loosing us and there was nothing she could do against it. ''What...?''

''You cannot come with us into the Underworld and neither can the children cross the sea with you. It would be too dangerous.'' The god was calm, his voice powerful, yet soothing.

Mother nodded with resignation. ''Of course.''

Hades picked up our bags and lead us onto the streets of Venice. Not many people were still out, but those who were parted before us when we passed. Even the humans could feel that there was something 'wrong' with Hades, even they felt the danger he represented.

The man provoking those reactions did not seem to notice anything or simply did not care. He walked down the streets, probably using the fastest way towards the port.

My suspicions were confirmed when only a few minutes later we arrived at our destination. On the contrary to the streets, there were many people at the docks, bustling around and entering three different ships.

Father guided us through the parting crowds to the biggest ship. A fury was there waiting for us. She bowed at the sight of my father. ''Lord Hades''

The god observed her a few moments with his piercing eyes. ''Tisiphone, I hope you know why I called you here.''

The fury nodded her head. She was obviously nervous. ''Of course, my Lord. I am to accompany Miss. di Angelo across the sea.''

''Yes. Let us hope you do not disappoint me.'' The threat was quiet obvious, even to me.''It is time, Maria.''

Said woman turned to look at us. There were tears in her eyes. Since our birth we had never truly been apart from her, she saw us at least once a day. It may sound immature, but I started to cry when her eyes fell upon me. My siblings knew that something was going to happen because they cried too.

''Oh, my sweet little children.'' She knelled in front of us and reached out with her arms, crushing us into a tight hug. ''Do not worry. We will see each other again soon.''

Mother wiped our tears with her hands and kissed each of us on the temple. Tears were streaming down her face, yet she tried to smile for us.

''We will miss you, _mamma.''_ It was Bianca who said what we three felt.

Nico and I confirmed it in union. ''Yes, _mamma.''_

If it was possible she cried even harder. ''I will miss you, too.''

Mother gave us each a last goodbye kiss, stood up and dusted off her dress. Then she turned to our father and nodded her head once. Tisiphone picked her bag up and started to lead her on the ship. Soon they disappeared out of our sight.

''She will be fine.'' He ruffled our hair one after another. ''Nothing will happen to her.''

I looked at him with red rimmed eyes. ''Promise?''

''Promise.'' He smiled and my world brightened because I knew that this was a promise he would keep. ''Now you three will need to hold on tight to me and do not let go no matter what.''

Hades put Bianca on his back. She clung to him with her hands around his neck. Thereafter he picked up Nico and me into his arms and held us tight.

And before I knew what was happening, the shadows swallowed us and only darkness surrounded me.

* * *

The Underworld was beautiful in its own way. Or at least what I saw of it was. Maybe it was the otherworldly sheen or the way it made me feel like I was home that made me say that, but in my eyes it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen.

The darkness and the shadows which normally scared people welcomed me. I was sure that not every corner of the Underworld looked like the place we were currently residing in, there was no denying that. I was happy that there weren't any miserable souls there to greet or monsters to try to eat us. Even if that would have been the case, they wouldn't have managed to do so with our father here.

What I liked the most about this place was that I could feel my father everywhere. The whole area was filled with his aura, gently brushing against our skin.

The castle, which had been our fathers home for millennia, stood imposingly before us. Yet, I did not feel threatened or intimidated, no, I felt home.

Its massive dark walls rose from the burning fires of hell. Everything was dark, obsidian. The entrance, a giant mahogany door, opened before us, inviting us in.

Father put us down on the floor and we watched the scene with awe in our eyes. All around us everything was gigantic. It was probably made so because our father needed to fit in, in his true form.

As we walked down an grand hallway, Hades started to change. With each step he took, he got taller and taller, till he stood meters higher than us.

''Come, little ones. I will show you the chambers.'' His voice was loud and booming.

We followed him down the hallway. He stopped when we reached a staircase and picked us up again. It was so weird, we were literally standing on top of our fathers palm.

But I had to admit, the view from there was fantastic. We could see everything; paintings that hung on the walls, the rooms that we passed or the many servants scurrying around.

Said servants bowed whenever they saw our father and regarded us curiously. It was quiet clear that they did not know what to begin with our presence.

"Where have you been, husb..?" The voice came from behind us and when father turned around I immediately knew whose it was.

Persephone was a beautiful woman. I wasn't even sure if beautiful was the right word to describe her. 'Godly' would be probably more appropriate.

But right now, standing before us in a floral dress with her face scrunched up, glaring and pointing a finger at us, she looked like a monster. It did not help that she was only slightly smaller than Hades.

"What is that?" She asked with her finger still pointing in our direction. I do not know if it was instinct or just fear but Nico, Bianca and I, we cowered before her. I believe that it was only our father presence that kept us from running for the hills.

While all this happen, Hades anger seemed to rise. His eyes were narrowed into slits and the air around us seemed to get colder. Whoever said that hell was hot had no idea what he or she was talking about.

His hand, the one which was holding us, went towards his chest and shielded us from the angry goddess's view. "You should watch the way you are talking to me, _wife._ "

The woman bristled. ''How dare you bring your... _bastards_ into our home?!''

As the words left her lips the air around us seemed to get frigid cold. Hades glared at his wife, his eyes seemed to be burning daggers into her. ''I believe you should retire to your chambers. _Now._ ''

Maybe it was the voice he used at the way he was looking at her, but Persephone shut her mouth before she could say anything else. She send a last glare towards our direction, turned around and left.

Our fathers straight posture relaxed when she was out of our sight. The tension left his body and he gave us a reassuring look. ''Do not worry. I wont let her hurt you. No one will ever touch you.''

We gave him slightly strained smiles. Seeing them father continued moving towards our destination.

The sleeping chambers were huge. Dark curtains were hiding the windows, which undoubtedly showed Hades domain. In the middle of the room stood a big four poster bed with red satin sheets. There were a few shelves scattered around the room, lodging items I had never seen before.

''It has been an exhausting day for you. I will send some servants to help you take a bath in the adjoining bathroom. Thereafter you should go sleep. I have planned many things for the following weeks.''

The moment we entered the bathroom everything shrunk to our height. A harpy was already there waiting for us. She helped us bath and showed us how to put on our new clothes. Each of us got a dark chiton that she helped us fasten. Bianca's and mine reached to our ankles, while Nico's was slightly shorter.

When we entered the sleeping chambers once again everything grew in size.

Walking towards the bed I almost tripped over my new garments. Bianca caught me before I could have fallen face first onto the floor. Our father seemed amused by that.

It was only a few moments later that we found ourselves laying on fathers huge chest. The satin sheets were pulled slightly over our petite bodies and before we knew what was happening sleep had already claimed us.


	4. A Different Kind of Family

**You have no idea how sorry I am for not updating for such a long time. But do not fear, I have not abandoned this story.**

 **Thank you for all the favorites, follows and reviews this story has received till now.**

 **I have edited the last three chapters, but I did not change anything major, so you don't have to read them again. Anyway, have fun reading.  
**

 **Rating for this chapter: T**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. Self-Insert**

* * *

 _Edited on the 22nd of June 2016_ **  
**

* * *

 _Chapter 5_  
 _  
A Different Kind Of Family_

* * *

 _"This is part of what a family is about, not just love. It's knowing that your family will be there watching out for you. Nothing else will give you that. Not money. Not fame. Not work."_

 _― Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie_

* * *

 _3 September 1939_

Persephone wasn't a pleasant woman. Nope, not pleasant at all.

Actually she was rather horrid. I could not fathom what my father saw in her.

Through the last few minutes of our 'family' breakfast she had insulted me more times than anyone else-in both of my lives-before. But she was rather smart about doing it. The goddess knew that she couldn't just outright insult us. So she used thinly veiled insults like:

''I thought you would be home by now. Luckily, someday you will go far away. I just hope you will stay there.''

''It is really sad that your mother is only mortal. Such fickle lives they have. It is such a shame you inherited that from her.''

''I like that your mother tries to compete with me for Hades attention, at least she has a goal. Unrealistic and unattainable, but it is still a goal.''

''The fates create everyone for a reason, I never doubted that before I met you.''

''The first time I saw you, I wished I was blind.''

Oh, and those were the nice ones. My siblings couldn't see the true malice behind some of them and that made me more than glad. But it was rather unfortunate that she called us three, as often as she could get away with it, bastards. Persephone also referred to our mother as 'the Whore' with a capital 'W'. Luckily, my siblings were too young to know what those words meant. If mother ever heard us use them she would wash our mouths out with soap.

Still, it was really hard to control myself. I wished that I could hit her but that would have been suicidal.

However, that did not mean that I had to play along nicely. Game on, bitch.

"Papa, what is a bastard?" I asked innocently.

Hades send a quick glare towards his wife and turned to look at me. "A bastard is a child born out of wedlock. For example, when a married man has an affair with a woman who is not his wife and she bears him a child."

I pretended to look thoughtful. "But isn't Lord Zeus married to Lady Hera." I leveled my gaze on Persephone. "Doesn't that make you into a bastard, too, Lady Persephone? You know, because your _mamma_ had an affair with Lord Zeus."

I watched with a certain pleasure as her eyes filled with anger. That probably should have worried me. Did I start to developed some sadistic tendencies?

Hmm, nah I was doing just fine.

As for Persephone, I still wasn't finished with her. I plastered a sickeningly sweet smile on my face. "Oh, and if my _mamma_ is a whore, yours must be one as well."

Persephone's chair scrapped against the floor when she stood up. For a moment, as I felt her furious aura brush against my skin, I regretted ever talking back to her. She looked ready to kill me. "Why you little..."

" _Sit._ " Hades commanded.

The goddess's sat down on her chair once again, her face was twisted into an ugly grimace.

"Did I say something in...inaprodiat, _papa_?" I looked at my father. I could see his eyes soften at my mistake and the look I was giving him. I knew that we three had him twisted around our little fingers. Was it wrong of me to use that?

Hell, no. I was sure father could feel my smugness through our bound, which essentially meant that he knew that I wasn't as innocent as I pretended to be.

''Inappropriate. No, you did not do anything inappropriate, Nora.'' His voice was steady, but I could see the pride in his eyes.

After breakfast we spend a leisurely two hours getting familiar with the castle. Father showed us the different parts of the building and told us about the 'forbidden regions'.

Every time we encountered a servant, I would end up feeling extremely uncomfortable. They always bowed before us as a sign of respect.

I mean, I understood why they did that to my father, but my siblings and I, well, that was just plain awkward. The servants did not only bow to us, but also called us 'prince' and 'princess', a title I was sure we would keep for years to come.

I only wondered what made them do that. Was it our father? Did he somehow announce us being the new Prince and Princesses of the Underworld? Or was it our clothes, which practically screamed royalty.

Waking up that morning we were greeted by a bunch of servants. They had silk clothes prepared for us. The Greek garments were fastened with silver clips. Bianca's and my hair was neatly combed and put up into elaborate designs. Lastly, each of us received their own crown.

Anyway, I liked the clothes and did not truly have anything against my newly acquired title, I just did not like the attention. I haven't liked too much attention on me in my previous live, now I disliked it even more. Having so many pairs of eyes on me made my instincts kick in and I had to stop myself from choosing between fight or flight.

I think it was noon when we arrived in a big hall. I couldn't really tell with us being in the Underworld; Sadly, they did not have a pretty sun down here which would indicate the time of the day. A shame, really.

Like all the things in our fathers domain, the hall was dark and somewhat elegant. What surprised me was that it was empty. There was no furniture, no paintings, nothing. Just an empty room.

Closing the door behind us, father lead us into the middle of the room. With a wave of his hand he made four chairs appear in front of us to sit down. And that's exactly what we did. We sat down on the comfortable-with comfortable I mean _really_ comfortable-chairs and looked at our father expectantly.

He copied our actions and gave us this really intense look. Suddenly, a box appeared in his hands. Hades opened it carefully and showed us its inside. The best way to describe it was, well, jewelry. Only my future knowledge made me realize what this _jewelry_ was.

I could easily recognize the black skull ring. It was Nico's sword. Which meant that the other two bracelets and earrings were also weapons.

Great. So father was gifting us with weapons at such a young age. In my previous life something like this would have been completely socially unacceptable. I could already imagine how our neighbors would start calling some social services. But now, it was a relief because it meant that Hades would teach us how we could protect ourself and each other.

"Each of those has a special ability. You should choose wisely which one you want.''

We all stared at the box for a few seconds. Surprisingly it was Bianca who made her choice first. It may be weird, but when I saw the ring I thought that Nico would snatch it the moment he got the chance. But like I said, Bianca was the first who made her choice by picking the two earrings from the middle of the box. Nico was the second, obviously, choosing the ring. Which left me with the bracelets.

''Why are you giving us jewelry, _papa?''_ Bianca frowned slightly. ''What special abilities?'' She added, fingering her beautiful earrings. They looked like two small butterflies, made out of a dark silver material which looked almost black. Dozens of bloody red rubies were embedded into them. Those two earrings must have been worth more than our whole house in Italy.

I had to stop myself from laughing at Bianca's expression, the moment she saw the earrings change into two daggers. It was something between shock and awe.

As I turned my head to look at Nico, I saw a giddy expression appear on his face. He started fingering the silver skull ring, the same way Bianca did with her present. It was only a few moments later that the ring changed into a dark sword. At that an awed gasp escaped him.

Then all eyes turned towards me, watching me curiously. I rolled my eyes at my family's dramatics. Something like this could be expected from my siblings, after all they were still children, but my more than four millennium old father looked far too thrilled by the situation.

I looked at my two bracelets. One was a simple silver band, woven around a few small red rubies. The second was a bracelet with three charms. Quiet ironically a helmet, a skull and what looked like a three-headed dog, Cerberus. I pulled at one of the charms and watched in slight fascination as the two bracelets changed into two spears. One was longer and one was shorter.

''Each of you will learn how to use your own weapon. After you have mastered that you will learn fighting with your siblings' weapons as well.'' Hades gave us all a stern look.

"We will be heroes?" Nico asked innocently.

That seemed to be the wrong question. Something in Hades expression darkened. Was it disapproval that I could feel through our bound? "You are no heroes, Nico, and neither will I teach you to be ones. You are survivors and I will teach you how to protect yourself and your sisters." He frowned."Heroes die young, survivors preserve. I am the god of the dead and it would be quiet ironic if I lost you to death."

Nico's eyes widened slightly. Shock was evident on his face, yet there was also something entirely different on it. Understanding? Perhaps. "So, if I was a hero I would lose Bianca and Nora?"

The god's answer was short and maybe a little brutal for a child as young as Nico, yet it was also the truth. "Yes."

"Then I do not want to be a hero." My brothers voice was full of determination. ''Nora and Bianca mean everything to me.''

Our father smiled at that. I could feel the pride he felt. But how could he be proud when he just told us that we couldn't be what we were born to be? The ultimate goal of a demi-god was becoming a hero to make your godly parent proud, yet he told us he did not want us to become ones. Don't get me wrong, I never wanted to be a hero. I did not want to die a premature death once again. It's just that I thought we would have to be ones anyway. I thought our father would wish for that. I thought we would need to do that to have his full acceptance.

And yet he told us the complete opposite. All he wanted from us was survival. His last sentence made me realize practically said that he would not lose us to death. Did that mean that he planed to spend an eternity with us?

I shouldn't have had those thoughts, I knew that. After all they may lead me to question dangerous things. Hades was a god. In his life he had had countless of children. What made us so different?

Strangely, the smallest hope of having an eternity with my father and my siblings, made me happier than anything else.

* * *

A few hours later our first training session ended. The smiles we had on our faces at the beginning of it had long since disappeared. Before we started training I had been happy about learning how I could protect myself, but now the only thing I wished for was a warm bath and sleep.

One might think that being our father would motivate Hades to not be too harsh with us. Unfortunately, the truth was that it's the other way around.

Hades was a slave driver.

He did not start teaching us how to use our weapons and wouldn't do that till we were physically _'fit enough'_ to wield them. So he made us do work outs.

Four hours long work outs.

The only breaks we could make was to drink something and to catch our breath. Then he continued drilling everything into us. We had to run, jump, do sit ups, things that would strengthen our muscles and many other exercises.

I think that his decision to not let us die made him into quiet a madman during this session. What a way to show love.

''Now that's enough for today.'' Father moved his hand in a way that beckoned us forward.

I sighted involuntarily and wiped the sweat of my forehead with my right hand. ''Finally.''

Nico muttered in agreement which only seemed to amuse our father.

"The training session may be over for today but you still have a lot to learn." He shook his head slightly. "Food will be served in an hour. The arae you have met yesterday will help you take a bath. After dinner we will continue with some instructive lessons."

I could only hope that those lessons wouldn't be as taxing as our previous ones. My muscles seemed to be made out of lead, sitting down wouldn't be a good idea. I was sure that following such an action I wouldn't be able to stand up ever again. My siblings probably shared that opinion.

I won't mention the next few moments, as I am too embarrassed by my own actions and weakness, but I never wanted to be rendered into such an state again. I wasn't the only one, of course, however my siblings were to young to properly understand the situation.

Let's just say that without our father's help we wouldn't have gotten anywhere. He had to carry us to the bathing chambers.

The arae was already there, waiting for us. The bath was warm and smelled nicely of lavender. Who would have thought that there were such smells in hell? I certainly didn't.

Anyway, after she finished bathing us, we were escorted into the dinning room. You can't imagine the relief I felt when I noticed that Persephone wasn't joining us. The food we ate was delicious. Just heaven on earth. I suspected that they put ambrosia into it.

After we finished eating, father gave us another mythology lesson. What was surprising about it was that he talked about the Roman one.

By the gods, Bianca's and Nico's faces were priceless when they found out that there are 'two' of our fathers. He spend about an hour explaining the whole thing to us. It was actually quiet interesting to learn about his Roman opposite.

Our young exhausted bodies did not manage to stay awake for much longer afterwards.


	5. Home Sweet Home

**I'm back dear readers and I hope you will enjoy the newest chapter of The Travelers Future.**

 **'miei cari figli' means 'my dear children' in Italian.**

 **Disclaimer: The Willard Hotel really exists and does not belong to me. The suite is completely made up.**

 **Rating for this chapter: T**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. Self-Insert  
**

 **Have fun.**

* * *

 _Edited on the 24th of June 2016  
_

* * *

 _Chapter 5_

 _Home Sweet Home_

* * *

 _"Is it possible for home to be a person and not a place?"  
― Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss _

* * *

Two weeks of vigorous training did wonders to our stamina. That doesn't mean that we would be capable of taking part in a marathon anytime soon, but we were certainly better than before. Our heritage had, most likely, something to do with our quick progress. Not that it mattered. I actually appreciated it.

But training wasn't the only thing we did in those two weeks. Father showed around the castle-he hadn't taken us everywhere the first time around- and some parts of the Underworld. I have seen some really freaky things down here. Like doors which had different deaths engraved into them. They were as beautiful as they were terrifying. Then there were the ghosts and zombies. As it turned out zombies were actually a part of the castle's staff. It was quiet weird to see a dead soldier in a confederate uniform serving us breakfast. I will never forget the day Bianca told our father that she would like to meet a real life princess. Only a few hours later we found ourselves sitting at a table across from Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. No kidding, father summoned her spirit so that Bianca could have her meeting with a princess. And so I met one of queen Victoria's daughters, who was a dead princess of England. Not something I ever expected to do.

Besides that we spend a lot of time with our father and enjoyed the moments we had with each other. Of course there were other instances where I felt like a fish out of water, but they were not worth mentioning.

Anyway, we were currently packing the things father had acquired for us; it was time to go home. Mother would be soon arriving in Washington, D.C., there we would meet up with her.

For some time now I had had this nagging feeling that told me that I was forgetting something important, but no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't remember. The only thing that I was certain of was that all would be probably revealed in due time.

''Are you finished?'' I turned towards the entrance of the room and looked at my father. He was standing there with a stiff posture, observing how we packed our things.

A small smile crawled onto my face as I closed the leather bag, ''Yes, _papa.''_

He was in his 'human' form, which meant that he wasn't meters taller than us. Well, I still barely reached his waist, but lets just ignore that.

Unsurprisingly, father came to my side and picked up my bag. When we arrived here we had just about enough things to fit into one bag, now that we were leaving, each of us needed their own container for their possessions. Father couldn't deny us anything. Even if we just indicated liking something he found it necessary to get it for us. Not that it was a problem for him, after all, he wasn't just the God of the Dead, but of Wealth as well.

So, he continuously spoiled us. I am not quiet sure that was a good thing.

''Are you sure that you haven't forgotten anything, Nora?'' He asked, putting a hand on my head. I was glad that he didn't ruffle it. The servants spend a lot of time preparing it that day. I swatted his hand away as a precaution, there was no need for me to take the risk of him destroying my hair. I did not truly care for the way I looked- I was eight years old, for the gods sake- but I did not want the forty minutes of torture the furies put me through to finish that hairstyle to be for nothing.

My actions seemed to amuse father. His hand went towards my head and he just couldn't stop himself from ruffling it. And there was nothing I could have done against it. Instead of crying or anything like that, I chose to glare at him. It wasn't even half as impressive as the one he gave his subjects but it was enough for now. Some day I would learn how to use his death glare. Did you get that? Hades and death glare. Hades and death.

Alright, I admit, that was a bad pun.

Out of the corner of my right eye I saw Nico sliding his large bag towards us. It was quiet the entertaining sight because he was only a little larger than the bag. My dear twin was hunched over his possessions and used all the strength he had in his thin arms to shove the bag across the floor. That certainly looked exhausting.

"Let the bag there, son. Someone will retrieve it later and bring it to your new home." Hades frowned slightly,"Come here. You as well, Bianca. We have to leave now if we do not want to keep your mother waiting."

There was a slight bounce in Bianca's steps as she came to us. Her cute emerald dress seemed to flutter with her every move. The servants had dressed us into 'modern' clothes today. Nico was wearing short trousers with long socks and a black blazer over a white shirt. My dress was similar to Bianca's, yet instead of emerald it was blue. Both were made of velvet which was considered to be 'fancy' now a days.

Even father dressed up quiet nicely. With black dress pants-according to the decade's style they were quiet high-waisted and slightly boxy.- and a white shirt, which was accompanied by a black waistcoat and tie, father presented us with quiet the uncommon sight. It was a style I was rather unused to, but that did not mean that he looked bad. Father was a god, they all looked good. While we girls wore sandals, father's and Nico's feet were adorned by a pair of Oxfords.

We must have looked like the perfect rich family, just the mother was missing.

Bianca and Nico clung to our father's legs, as he picked me up and let the shadows envelope us. Let me tell you, shadow traveling wasn't anything pleasant. If I had to compare it to anything I would say that it was like riding the fastest roller coaster in the world while being squeezed through a way to tight space. Horrible. I could only hope that it would get better over time. Maybe even funny?

Who was I kidding? Certainly not myself.

When we finally arrived at the back of a dark alley in Washington, D.C. I felt totally disoriented. Everything seemed to spin. Luckily, I did not feel like puking all over the place. That would have been disgusting.

There were some people there. In the alley I mean. I could not help wondering about what the mist made them see. They probably wouldn't have reacted nicely to a bunch of people suddenly appearing near them out of thin air. As it was, they did not even spare us a glance.

After father put me down on the ground again I dusted the imaginary dirt off my dress, then grabbed the hands of my siblings and raced to the entrance of the alley. Stunned, I froze in place. I had never seen anything like that. It was as if I have entered one of those really old black and white movies (minus the black and white part, of course).

Hundreds of people were bustling around the streets, all dressed similarly to us. Men and woman with hats on their heads and clothes I had once associated with carnivals. Different car models raced down the streets, one more extravagant than the other. People of different classes were on the streets; from the beggars on the sidewalks to the richest of the rich parading down the street with cigarettes in their hands. Once upon a time I was a small town girl, all this was overwhelming for me.

Our father came to us not long after we arrived at the entrance. He stood behind me and put one hand on Nico's and Bianca's, who were standing on each of my sides, shoulders. I stole a peek to see his face, I was very curious. Father looked completely unimpressed, as if he had seen things much more interesting than this, he probably had.

''It is rush hour. That's why there are so many people out on the streets. Most just finished their work.'' Explained father, steering us out of the alley and onto the busy streets.

I soon learned that people weren't as stupid as I thought they were. Be it beggar or businessman, poor or rich, all of them possessed an instinctual drive to survive. All parted before my father like the sea before Moses. No one bumped into us, no one touched us on the busy streets. Yet all this did not stop them from sending admiring looks our way. I have said it before and I will say it again; father was a god and all gods were beautiful. Our clothes were expensive, we gave off the picture of the perfect family.

We ignored them. None of them mattered. They were all just faceless people, whom we wouldn't remember the next day. Father didn't even spare anyone a glance as he expertly lead us through the streets of Washington D.C.

''Where are we going, _papa?''_ Bianca asked the one question which has been going through all of our minds.

A really weird expression appeared on father's face. ''Your new home.'' And wow. Did he sound almost... _bitter?_

I decided to interfere. ''Where is our new, uhm, _home?''_

His answer brought up the urge in me to rip out my own hair. '' Not far away.''

This time it was Nico who asked. Bless my twin. ''Where is 'not far away'?''

Yep, we were annoying little shits. It's a shame that father knew how to deal with us. In his years he acquired some patience, patience he rarely used, but patience nonetheless. His next 'answer' was the reason for the development of an ugly frown on my face. ''Nearby.'' He paused. ''Nora, you shouldn't frown like this or you just might get wrinkles.''

Fortunately, our questions were answered soon enough. The answer being one of the most expensive hotels in this city. A huge Beaux-Arts building known as the Willard Hotel. I did not know much about architecture, so there wasn't a lot left which I could tell you about the building. Besides it being white or having a few floors. Or being 'marvelous' and looking very expensive.

We stopped moving in front of it. People were still looking, but no one approached us. We stood there among ourselves and ignored the world around us completely. After all, we were waiting.

Our last family member arrived soon after in a black automobile. She got out of the vehicle and her gaze immediately fell upon us. Mother looked like a fairy tail princess, with her beautiful red dress and curled up hair. I could easily see what had drawn my father to her. Even now in her thirties she still looked young and lovely.

Her gaze found us without any problems. ''There you are, _miei cari figli!''_

We ran forward into her arms. Two weeks we had spend without our mother and missed her more than we thought possible. Despite the fun we had with our father in the Underworld, I was happy to be reunited with our mother once again.

Mother knelled down and welcomed us into her open arms. We collided with her like a train with a truck, it was a wonder that she did not loose her balance. ''I have missed you.'' She said breathlessly as if she had just gone through some serious work out.

'' _Mamma!''_ I exclaimed, beaming a broad, happy smile up at her. ''We missed you as well.''

Her gaze lingered at us before moving to our father. Then she straightened up and said, ''Hades.''

The man in question nodded his head as form of greeting. ''Maria.''

The following silence couldn't have been any more awkward and oppressing. They behaved like a divorced couple in the middle of a custody war (Only without the shouting. Maria would never dare to shout at Hades. Insulting him was even less of a possibility.).

Deciding to loosen up the tense atmosphere, I spoke up, ''Is this our new home, _papa?''_

''Yes, Nora.'' Father answered and then looked at mother. ''Come.''

The receptionist was a young looking man. Like so many other males in this decade he was wearing dark dress pants and a shirt. He also had this horrific green tie, which all other workers wore as well. Pinned on his chest was a name tag with the name _'Jonathan Cornweller'_ written all over it.

Jonathan was talking to a pretty blond on his right, who immediately diverted his attention to us after she noticed the big entrance doors opening. Father strode forward and I saw the young man gulping nervously. Maybe he was clear sighted and could see through the mist?

Nah, father was just this intimidating.

''Good evening, Sir.'' Jonathan greeted, while we waited a few paces behind the god. ''How may I help you?''

''I have made a reservation under the name di Angelo.'' Was father's quick and professional answer.

The receptionist's eyes widened audibly, he looked as if he just found out that Christmas would be early that year but Santa wasn't real. ''The Exclusive Suit?'' Jonathan paused. ''The all year rounder?''

Father raised an eyebrow-I never managed to do that. Raising one eyebrow instead of two and not looking like a complete idiot, I mean- and nodded his head. ''Yes. I believe the payment has been already taken care of.''

Jonathan bobbed his head up and down in a nervous manner. ''Yes. You just have to sign a few papers, Mr. di Angelo.'' He set a pack of papers down in front of father and pointed at the places which needed father's signature.

Well, that was weird. Unexpectedly, father did not correct him. He probably did not want them to think that we were his bastard children-not that we weren't- and that he tried to hide us and his mistress away from the world. Besides they would treat us with more respect this way.

After the Lord of the Dead signed the papers, the pretty blond on Jonathan's right lead us to an elevator. The thing did not appear to be very stable, but it did its work. That did not mean that I planned on using it in the nearby future. Somewhere near the entrance I had seen a nice pair of stairs. Besides our suit was only on the second floor, which was probably a tactical decision to keep us out of Zeus' domain, so there shouldn't be a problem with us using the staircase.

Anyway, we arrived at a door with the number '248' written on it in golden letters. Home sweet home.

As the exited little child that I was I couldn't stop myself from instantly exploring our new home. The suite had two bedrooms, a bathroom, two living rooms, a dining room and a kitchen. It was decorated in a contemporary style, with marble and hardwood floors, and the windows overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue. While most of the rooms were painted in muted colors, such as brown and cream, the bathroom's walls were a dark gray, fitting perfectly with the mosaic marble floor. A large bathtub-it looked more like a small swimming pool-was carved into the floor in the middle of the room. One of the living rooms had a billiards table, a library and a cocktail lounge. The other one was more cozy with a large couch and one of those really old TV's. Gods, how I have missed watching my favorite TV shows. Now I would just have to wait for a few decades till they would air again, wasn't that fantastic? Note the sarcasm.

Where were we? The dining room, I believe. It consisted mostly of a huge, oval wooden dinning table. Compered to the other rooms, it wasn't anything special. Off of the master bedroom was a dressing room as well as an extra entrance to the bathroom. The room was filled with furniture typical for this decade and a very huge four poster bed. The second bedroom was actually quiet similar, only without the extra entrance to the bathroom and a slightly smaller bed. Lastly, there was the traditional 1940's kitchen, where even a small refrigerator could be found. Otherwise there weren't any modern appliances.

This suite and me, that was love at first sight.

My awed daze was stopped by father when he put his right hand on my head. Our eyes met. ''You like it, Nora?''

A wide grin appeared on my face. ''I love it _, papa.''_ I could feel slight sadness and irritation coming from him through our bond. I touched his hand with mine. ''You know that our home will always be with you, don't you?''

For a second an unreadable expression crossed his face and I felt a slight wall covering his emotions. Then he gave me one of those rare soft smiles. ''Go to your siblings, Nora. Someone needs to make sure that the suite will survive till tomorrow.''

Feeling nothing but love and affection through our bond, I decided to let go of the uneasy feeling swelling in my chest, thus never finding out about the troubling thoughts going through my father's head.


	6. As The World Moves On

**It has been over a month since I updated and I apologize for that. This chapter has been unexpectedly hard for me to write. To be honest, I'm not completely satisfied with it.**

 **Like always, I would appreciate it if you would leave a review.  
**

 **Anyway, one of you has pointed out that it seems like Hades favors Nora. It isn't like that under any circumstances. He may find it easier to get along with her because she is much more mature than her siblings, but he loves his children equally. I hope this chapter will portray this.**

 **Warning: I'm not sure when I'll able to update the next chapter. There are currently many exams awaiting me.**

 **Rating for this chapter: K  
**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. Self-Insert  
**

 **Have fun.**

* * *

 _Edited on the 24th of June 2016  
_

* * *

 _Chapter 6_

 _As The World Moves On_

* * *

 _"It takes courage to admit fear."_

 _― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones_

 _"Do the dead frighten you?"_

 _― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones_

* * *

March 14th, 1940

I was currently witnessing the most amusing sight ever. The perfect blackmail material for centuries to come. There were many things I expected to witness in this new world, but father playing mythomagic with my brother was not one of them. I never actually imagined father playing anything with us.

At the beginning the god wanted to deny Nico's request, but my elder brother could be quiet persuasive when he wanted to be. My dear twin looked at the Lord of the Dead with those damned sad puppy-dog eyes and father's resolve broke immediately. Like I have mentioned before, there wasn't much father could deny us.

Oh, but you should have seen the faces he made when he saw those cards. Priceless, that's what they were. He looked ready to murder someone after he noticed that the 'Hades' card had less magical power than the 'Zeus' card. Poor mythomagic inventors.

''I win!'' Nico exclaimed in utter delight. It was the third round they were playing and the third time that my brother won. Somehow father just couldn't get the hang of it. Or maybe he was letting Nico win, but I doubted it. The irritated expression on his face spoke volumes. However, Nico's apparent happiness seemed to placate his anger. Thank the gods, I did not fancy earthquakes.

''That you do.'' Father put his cards on the table. ''Why don...''

Nico did something not many dared to do; he interrupted the God of the Dead. ''Can we play another round?''

Before Hades had to answer, mother entered the room. She was wearing and apron and held a large spoon in her hand. ''Dinner will be ready soon. There isn't enough time for you to finish another game, Nico.''

My twin pouted but did not say anything else. Mother sighted. ''Why don't you ask your father if he could read something for you and Nora. Maybe one of the books we have gotten last week?''

Nico's face lightened up like a Christmas tree. His gaze moved towards our father. '' _Papa?''_

Already knowing the answer, I stood up and moved towards the large bookcase in the corner of the room. It was fairly new, father let it magically appear when he noticed the many books we got since we moved into the hotel. The ability to conjure things out of thin air was really practical.

Nico joined me after father gave his agreement. The bookcase was very large and thus had a huge assortment of books. In the higher shelves were the ones mother got for herself, in the lower shelves were ours. They were mostly mythology and some far fetched fantasy books. Not many of them were picture books.

I left the choice to Nico, who choose the book with the prettiest cover. It just happened to be a version of 'Little Red Riding Hood'. I loved that story when I was a child in my previous life.

Father was waiting for us on the couch. Each of us sat down on one of his sides and Nico handed him the book. It was so unfair that while we couldn't read in any other language but ancient Greek, father spoke about half of the languages used on earth and could read them all perfectly and without any problems. That's what I call bullshit.

Hades made sure that we were comfortable and cleared his throat. ''Little Red Riding Hood, huh?'' He opened the first page. ''It's a short story, we should be able to finish it before dinner.''

Neither Nico nor I said anything. We just looked at our father expectantly. The man just rolled his eyes and looked down at the first page. ''Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little girl. She was adored by her mother and loved by her grandmother even more.''

Hades voice was very soothing. Perfect for story telling. And he really did know how to tell or in this case read a story. He used those dramatic breaks and made his voice a little deeper at the perfect moments. He reached the part where the grandmother was eaten by the big bad wolf and Nico gasped in shock. My twin was looking at our father with wide eyes, intently listening to the story. He seemed spellbound, his expression changing with every word that left father's lips.

And when the part where the grandmother was saved by the huntsman was reached, his eyes were twinkling with delight. He always enjoyed it when father told or read us a story. And that was one of the reasons why I enjoyed it so much as well.

It was truly astounding how much my siblings' happiness meant to me. In my previous life I had never experienced something like this. This utterly unconditional love for another person or people.

''And so they lived happily ever after. End.'' Hades snapped the book shut and looked down at us. ''Did you like it?''

He often asked questions that he already knew the answers of. Even if we hadn't shared our bound with him, a person would have to be blind to not see how much we enjoyed ourselves. Maybe he did it to seem more human to us? Or to give us a somewhat normal childhood?

I nodded my head as Nico answered for the both of us. ''Of course. Can you read us another story later, _papa?''_

Hades pulled us both to our feet. ''Not today, Nico. But maybe the next time I come to visit.'' He tilted his head slightly to the left. ''Go wash your hands before dinner. Your mother and sister are almost finished.''

Nico grumbled under his breath. He did not like being ordered around.

''What did you say, son?'' Father looked amused.

''Of course, _papa.''_ My brother took my hand into his own and lead me to the bathroom. He decided to take the route through our bedroom, where he picked up a pair of comfortable looking clothes. A few hours before father had taken us outside to the park. To fit in with society we had to wear the clothes that were popular nowadays. They weren't exactly uncomfortable, but I wouldn't call them comfortable either.

In the bathroom Nico moved a stool towards the basin. We could reach it just fine without the extra height the stool gave us, but after what I had dubbed as the 'Water Flooding Incident', mother had asked us to use it so that something like that wouldn't happen again. I swear that the incident wasn't our fault, the water moved on its own accord. It was most likely trying to spite us, I promise.

''Could you give me the soap?'' Did I ever mention that I was a little of neat freak. Not to the point where I might seem obsessed, but I found hygiene very important. I thanked all the gods that I wasn't reborn centuries before, where people bathed once a week and never even thought about brushing their teeth. That would have been a nightmare.

Nico put the small, pink and rose scented square into my hand after having used it himself. Then he cautiously turned the water on. It flowed perfectly into the sink, not causing any major problems for us. And no, I'm not paranoid, water truly hates us. If I had to guess, I would say that it's our _dear_ uncle's fault.

I reached for the white fluffy towel on my right and wiped my hands with it. Afterwards I passed it to my twin. ''I will go and ask _mamma_ if she needs help. You should get dressed.''

Nico nodded his head. ''I will be there soon.''

''Don't make us wait too long.'' A small grin appeared on my face. ''Or I just might eat your dinner.''

''Nora!'' Nico pushed me lightly and quickly started to change his clothes. When I reached the door he was already halfway done. I couldn't help the laughter that escaped my lips. By the gods, he could be so amusing sometimes. With all his escapades Nico gave me the perfect blackmail material for the future.

The walk to the kitchen wasn't a long one. Mother was the only person present there. She was stirring something inside a big pot, it smelled like her famous spaghetti. No matter how cheesy or cliche it may sound, mother's spaghetti was the best spaghetti in the world. Her cooking altogether was fantastic.

''Is something the matter, Nora?'' Mother asked without turning around.

I walked a few steps forward and stopped in the middle of the kitchen. ''No, I was just wondering if you might need some help?''

Turning the stove off, mother angled her face so that she was looking at me. ''I am almost ready with everything in the kitchen.'' She frowned slightly. ''Your father and sister are preparing the table. Maybe you should go and ask them if they need some help. I fear that they might do something rather...unexpected.''

I did not blame her for not trusting them with such an easy task. While father was more than capable to prepare a table, Bianca could be sometimes very persuasive. And if you considered the fact that father probably never had to set a table before, then well, I was worried as well.

I was only happy that that worry seemed to be for nothing. When I entered the dining room, the table was already prepared perfectly. Bianca and father sat at it, the former drinking a cup of orange juice. I was pretty sure we did not have any orange juice at home. Another one of father's freaky conjuring powers, I guessed.

Bianca regarded me curiously as I entered the room. ''Where is Nico?''

Was it really so rare to see us twins apart? ''He is changing his clothes.''

''Oh.'' My sister looked down at her own attire. ''Should I change as well?''

Unlike Nico, she most likely thought that her dress wasn't appropriate. Which was actually quiet amusing because we were just having a normal family dinner. I could still remember the times in my previous life when I ate dinner in my pajamas. Bianca would have a heart attack if she ever heard this. ''Your dress is fine. Besides you know that Nico finds most of his clothes uncomfortable. That's the only reason why he is changing them.''

She looked a little dejected, after all Bianca liked dressing up.

I walked towards the chair next to her and sat down. Taking one of her hands into mine I spoke up, ''If you would like it, I could do something with your hair later.''

''Really?'' A bright smile came upon her face. ''Even that double plait thingy?''

I nodded my head. ''Yes.''

''I can help too.'' Nico spoke up from the doorway with a sly grin on his lips. ''I will do better than the last time. Promise.''

I must have paled a little, but compared to the whiteness of Bianca's face it was nothing. The last time he touched her hair, Nico somehow managed to put such a knot into it that mother had to cut Bianca's beautiful dark tresses. Only one or two centimeters, but since then we hadn't let him touch our hair if it could be avoided.

''No, Nora will be fine by herself. I am sure of it.'' My elder sister almost stuttered.

''A shame.'' Nico said as he sat down on a chair opposite of us. He took a glass from the table(It was filled with orange juice as well. Where did the juice actually come from? I knew that father conjured it, but from where?) and drunk a few sips.

Choosing not to interfere with my sibling's affairs, I turned toward our father. ''Are you staying after dinner, _papa?''_

Bianca and Nico ceased their banter and turned to look at our father expectantly.

''No, I have some business to take care of.'' The god answered with his deep voice. ''I won't be coming back for a few days.''

That completely stopped our movement. Father never stayed away for longer than three days, most times not even that long. If he choose to mention this, then well, it must have meant that he would be staying away for longer than the normal time frame. That was worrisome.

''How many days?'' Bianca asked, a slight frown creased her eyebrows.

Father regarded us calmly. ''I'm not sure. But it might be over a week.''

The three of us froze in place. Over a week? So much could happen in a week. Besides what could be so important that father would need to leave us for a longer period of time? Did it have anything to do with the war?

I wished I could have asked, but I knew that father would have not answered honestly. He did not want us getting involved in any of it. He did not want us to see his dark side, the one which did not care about anything but his own needs. Did not want us to see the demons that he had been hiding from us since we were born.

But deep down we knew that the war which had been raging around the world for a year now was partly our father's fault. So many people died because of the hatred he felt towards his brothers.

My father was a monster. No different than any other god or goddess.

None of us said anything else. Silence surrounded us like a blanket during our meal. That night not even mother's fantastic spaghetti managed to improve our sullen mood.


	7. The Dying Embers

**This is the 7th chapter of 'The Travelers Future'. It's actually the shortest chapter in this story.**

 **Anyway, I wanted to thank all of you for sharing your opinions with me. Your reviews and PMs truly helped me to choose my next course of action. I hope everyone will be satisfied with it. It's a little different from what I previously planned but there will still be many changes.**

 **To be honest, I'm not quiet sure if I like this chapter but I do hope that you will enjoy it. I fear that Hades might be a little OOC.**

 **On another note, I have published a new Self-Insert story. If you like Inuyasha, then you should check it out.**

 **Rating for this chapter: T**

 **Summary: As if dying wasn't enough, I just had to be reborn into a fictional world. Between a sister, who is fated to die and a brother with a bleak future, I had the power to change everything. If someone had to die, if someone had to suffer, it surely wouldn't be my family. No one besides them mattered. SI, twin-fic**

* * *

 _Chapter 7_

 _The Dying Embers_

* * *

 _''Certamente. We will stay together. Zeus is un imbecile.''  
― Maria di Angelo, The Last Olympian_

* * *

I was familiar with death. And I did not mean the fact that my father was the God of the Dead. Neither did I mean the fact that I already died once and proceeded to be reborn in a position where death became my constant companion. What I meant were all the _dead_ people I have met till now, the certain knowledge about the afterlife that I possessed. And if one put all the things mentioned above together, I'm sure that everyone would come to the same conclusion I once had; I had nothing to fear from death.

Or at least I thought so. Those believes, no matter how justified they might have seemed, were shattered like an expensive piece of porcelain among a trampling herd of elephants. After all, I thought about dying many times and what would happen to me if I did. Yet I never even considered that it wouldn't be me who died, but someone whom I cared about.

It was on a day like any other that I watched my mother's murder occur. Felt her soul slipping out of her body and being brought in front of the judges of the Underworld. It was on a day like any other that I finally realized what a curse my powers could truly be.

* * *

4 December 1941

''It is too big, sister.'' Nico repeated for what felt like the thousandth time. His eyebrows were scrunched up and he was looking at me as if I was crazy. Maybe I was.

Shacking my head a little, I gave him my sternest look. I didn't believe that I pulled it off the way father would have. ''It is ideal, Nico. In a few years you will fit in perfectly.'' I knew he would be thanking me later.

Father had taken us out for a stroll today. Our first destination had been a candy shop. _'Charlotte's Sweets and Sweeties_ ' it was called. The smell of chocolate was heavy in the air and everywhere I looked were sweets. Chocolates, lollipops, bonbons, _toffees._ Gods, I loved those little shits. They were divine.

It's perfectly understandable that father had a hard time getting us out of there. Only after he promised us that we would come back soon did we leave the shop. With a stash that would last for at least a month, of course. The lady behind the counter was more than happy and said we should come back anytime we wanted to.

I sure as Hades would be going there soon.

''We could get him another jacket. What do you think, Nora?'' The God of the Dead asked, the bemused expression never leaving his face.

I shook my head in denial, showing the stubbornness I inherited from him. ''No. This jacket is perfect.''

Bianca did not dignify this with a response. The only reaction she gave was a small sight. Then she turned around and sat down on a stool that one of the salesman had brought for us. She actually dared to take one of my toffees and stuck it into her mouth. That little...

''This is stupid. Can't we just go?'' He was trying to use those damned puppy-dog eyes on me. Brat.

I stomped my foot. The moment the action passed I immediately regretted it. Gods, when have I become such a brat? Seeing my mortification, father let one of those rare chuckles escape his lips. I felt quiet embarrassed.

Still, I couldn't give up. This wasn't just any jacket, it was _the aviator jacket._ Or at least I thought so. Besides Nico looked really cute in it. The garment was way to large for him, but in a few years it would be perfect. Maybe if I thought this a few more times then my twin would finally share my opinion?

''If not for Nico, then I want the jacket for myself.'' Nico gave me a glance that screamed 'do I look stupid'. I gave him the brightest grin I could muster.

Before Nico could say anything, father leaned down and whispered something into his ear. My brother's eyes brightened at whatever the god said and he nodded his head.

I squinted my eyes in suspicion. I didn't know what was transpiring between them, but from what I could feel through our bond, Nico was rather _gleeful._ That did not spell anything good.

''Come children. It is time to go home.'' Father motioned at the entrance.

''What about the jacket?'' I paused. ''Please, _papa._ I really want this jacket.''

Father put a hand on Nico's and my back. He was steering us towards the door. ''I will send someone to get it later. You know how your mother dislikes it if I buy you to many things.''

I couldn't stop myself from glancing at all the bags we had acquired today. They were full of sweets and other small items that we had wanted to have. I realized that I had become really spoiled in this new life. Was that shame that I felt? ''Of course.''

Father's gaze softened. '' Now, now, Nora. There really is no shame in wanting something. Everyone desires. Many cannot have those things, but you as my children are different. I would give you the world if it would make you happy.'' He patted my head. ''Yet I still believe that you should show some restrain. Not because I do not want to see you happy, but because I know that after some time possessing everything you want would make you loose the ability to appreciate the small things in life.''

He probably spoke from experience. I nodded my head in understanding. ''Thank you, _papa.''_

It was the last peaceful moment we had that day. The rest was blur of confusion, despair and pain.

When we stepped out of the shop a chill went down my spine. Father's aura filled the air around us, blanketing us like some kind of shield.

Despite it being about eight p.m. and the sun slowly disappearing behind the horizon, many people were still outside. Those who were near us stopped and looked at our small family in something akin to fear. The death and fear that father radiated must have been so strong that even they could feel it.

Hell, I could feel it. I'm sure it wasn't even half as strong as it should have been. Father would never hurt us. But the apprehension was still there, the foreboding. Something was wrong.

And I did not mean the dark clouds gathering on the night sky. Neither did I mean the lightning bolts flashing above us.

No, something bad was about to happen.

Father's voice was emotionless as he spoke, but it did not hinder me from feeling his deep rage through our bond. ''We need to hurry back to the hotel.''

The hotel? Why would we...?

I would have frozen in place if Nico hadn't been dragging me along with him. I could remember now, the thing I had been forgetting for months.

 _Maria's death._ Struck by lightning. Killed by Zeus.

By the gods, how could I have forgotten this? No, no, no. This couldn't be happening, this just couldn't be happening. Was this the Fates idea of a cruel joke?

I never noticed that I had stopped moving, only when father picked me up in his arms, did the world around me start spinning again. Though he stopped moving soon after as well, gazing up at the sky with an unreadable expression. My mouth opened to tell him to hurry up. He never let me.

''Nico, Bianca, hold on to me and do not let go.'' He said after his gaze left the sky.

The shadows enveloped us into their familiar embrace. Logically, I knew that our journey did not even last for a minute. That did not stop me from feeling irritated because we were moving too _slow._ Deep down I just knew that we were already too late.

History was going to repeat itself and there was nothing I could do against it.

We appeared in front of the hotel at the exact moment a lightning bolt hit the building. Glass shattered. The building burned. People around us screamed.

I was paralyzed and could only watch helplessly as the place I had learned to call home through the last two years burned to ashes, knowing that my mother was trapped in the middle of that destruction. I even imagined that I could hear her scream in agony.

But the worst was still to come.

We did not stay there longer than necessary, which meant that father got us out of there the moment that a lightning bolt started to head in our direction. I watched numbly as he raised a wall of darkness to protect us and before we knew what was happening we were already in father's chambers in the Underworld.

But as I said, the worst was still to come.

I could feel it. The exact millisecond that mother passed away. I could feel her entering father's realm and being brought in front of the judges.

We felt our mother die. There weren't any words that could describe how horrible I felt. We felt. Our emotions mixed together in one large pile of despair and sorrow, making everything we felt thrice as bad.

I had thought that I had nothing to fear from death. How naive I had been.

Maria di Angelo died on the 4th of December 1941 at the age of 33. A casualty in a war that raged between our father and his brothers.

That day along with our mother the three of us lost a part of our innocence.

Only Three days later there was a large influx of souls in the Underworld. On the 7th of December 1941 the Attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. Among the casualties Jonathan and Daniel Masen, each of them a Son of Zeus.

The world could be such a cruel, _cruel_ place.


	8. The Darkness Within

**Hey guys.**

 **I edited the first chapter and changed a few things, so you might want to reread it. Or you can wait till I edit the other chapters, which I will most likely do before I update chapter 9.**

 **This chapter was a little hard to write but I hope that I managed to display all the changes that the siblings are going through.**

 **Rating for this chapter: T**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. Self-Insert**

 **Have fun.**

* * *

 _Chapter 8_

The Darkness Within

* * *

 _"Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change."  
― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein_

* * *

In the time span of twenty-seven years I lost two mothers. One because of my own stupidity, the other because of my mere existence and forgetfulness. It would be a lie if I told you that it was easier the second time around, it wasn't. Actually, it might have been even harder.

When I died as Nadia Nowikow, I died knowing that my parents were still alive and somewhat happy. I knew that I would never see them again, just as I knew that they still had a bright future before them.

 _I died and my parents lived._ It's what made all the difference.

It wasn't hard for me to admit that I blamed myself for Maria's death. If I had remembered, she would have survived that day, she wouldn't have had to pay the price for being our mother. The mother of three children of Hades.

What made all this even worse was that I didn't have just her death on my consciousness. No, because of my inability father retaliated in the worst way possible. To take revenge on his brother he influenced one of my siblings to start the Attack on Pearl Harbor.

Yet I knew that I should have felt a lot of _more_ guilt.

I was ashamed. Somewhere in the darkest pits of my soul I was _glad._ Glad that Maria was avenged and that her death hadn't been written off as nothing. She was our _mother,_ royalty among mortals. Zeus deserved all that father threw at him. He deserved to watch his children die, just like he wanted our father to watch us die.

I had never felt such an intense _hate_ for anyone before. I could only hope that this hate would dim before I did something really stupid and got myself blown into pieces.

I should have been concerned about my own morality and how my siblings didn't seem to care about the deaths our father caused. They were more than aware of what all of it meant, I knew that. I remembered the day the two sons of Zeus entered the Underworld. We could feel it. It was as if someone was intruding on our territory. Instead of ignoring it or showing some kind of _unease,_ my siblings felt rather _gleeful._

This wasn't normal. We weren't _normal._ I couldn't care less.

Did that make me into a monster? Probably.

''Nora.'' I turned my head in Bianca's direction. There was a slight frown on her face, she must have been calling out to me for some time now. ''One of the servants brought dinner for us. You should eat something.''

There was a table in the corner of father's chambers, prepared specifically for us so that we wouldn't have to leave the room to eat. One of the servants had already laid out our food upon it. An assortment of our favorite dishes, including the desserts mother normally did not allow us to have.

I shook my head slightly. "I am not hungry."

"Liar." She pursed her lips in disapproval. "You are. I can feel it."

My gaze moved over her small frame. Not for the first time that week did I notice how pale she was. Her normally chocolate brown eyes had changed into two black abysses with dark shadows underneath them. She looked mad, the way most people imagined how children of Hades were meant to be.

I did not doubt that I looked just as bad as she did. "If it makes you happy."

The steps I took were small and deliberate. I did not think that I could stomach anything, yet my grumbling belly disproved that thought.

Nico pushed a full plate in front of me the moment I sat down on my chair. He had mostly put sweets and fruits on it, that's how well he knew me. ''You should try the cake, it is delicious.''

Of course it was delicious. All the food served for us in the underworld had small amounts of nectar or ambrosia mixed into it. If I had to guess their purpose I would say that the small amounts of nectar and ambrosia in our food were meant to help us built a higher tolerance for the godly food. Besides, such concoctions couldn't be anything but delicious. ''I will.''

The cake really was one of the best I had ever eaten. Chocolate and strawberry, my favorite.

''You see, I told you so.'' Nico muttered the exact moment that satisfaction started to course through my body. He looked relieved and that made me feel guilty.

Sometimes it was really hard for us to differentiate between whose emotions we were experiencing. Were they our own or from someone else? For some time now Nico must have been experiencing my hunger and no matter how hard he tried-all those dirty plates in front of him proved that he tried pretty hard-, he just couldn't satiate it.

''Sorry.'' I mumbled between two mouthfuls of cake.

He didn't say anything, no answer to my apology. Nico's newly acquired silence unnerved me beyond believe. He shouldn't be like this. Nico di Angelo was just a child that did not deserve all the things the Fates would soon throw upon him.

'' _Papa_ should be back soon. You should lighten up a bit, both of you.'' Bianca sat down on her chair and chewed on a piece of candy that she picked up from one of the plates. ''You know what happens when he worries about us.''

I winced at the thought of all the people that died at our father's hand, be it directly or indirectly.

Nico took a gulp of his drink. " Why should I care?"

Bianca's head snapped in his direction and my eyes widened. What did he say? ''What?''

''Why should I care?'' He rolled his eyes in annoyance, as if he couldn't believe what we were asking.

My mouth went dry, so I drunk a little from my cup. "Nico, those people are innocent. They do not deserve that."

" _Mamma_ was innocent as well." He snorted loudly. " And even though she was innocent she still had to die."

I didn't know how to answer that. He rendered me speechless.

" _Mamma_ wouldn't have wanted this." I'm sure that Bianca's words didn't even sound convincing to herself.

Nico shook his head and laughed. It sounded hollow to my ears, without any ounce of humor. " _Mamma_ is not here, she is gone. _Dead."_

I looked down at the table, incapable of regarding my own twin anymore. This was wrong, so very _wrong._

"I do not understand why you care so much, Nora. We do not know them, they mean nothing to us. Besides, it's not as if death was such a bad thing."

Silence reigned the room. My gaze moved towards Bianca, who was suspiciously avoiding my gaze. "You cannot share his opinion, Bianca?"

Her eyes did not meet mine. "Someone has to pay for what happened to _mamma._ Our uncle's children are the perfect targets." A frown marred her face. "The others are just casualties."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. But through our bond I could feel the sincerity with which they were speaking. It scared me.

"I have lost my appetite.'' My chair screeched loudly across the floor as I stood up and started to make my way towards the bed.

I turned my head in their direction. Identical eyes met. Nico's voice was almost cruel as he spoke up. Where had my brother gone? "You are a good liar, Nora. And even though you might be capable of lying to yourself, you cannot fool us.'' For a second I froze in place, a sense of unease filling my chest. ''Bianca and I, we aren't the only ones who felt pleased when those sons of Zeus died. We aren't the only ones who relished it. You did as well."

I couldn't deny it.

* * *

Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder.

Wonder about what the Fates planned for his future. Wonder how he could have let it come so far.

He should have ended it before it even started. The weakness they represented could one day be his downfall.

Hades should have never become so attached to his children in the first place. And as the attachment slowly turned into love and that love bled into obsession, he knew that the day would come where he would let hell reign on earth to protect his three little children. Their lives were worth more than those of anyone else.

He would protect them no matter what, yet he wasn't foolish enough to believe that he could protect them from everything. Especially now that he suspected the Fates' direct interference.

The god worried for his children. And how strange that sounded. The Lord of the Underworld worried about three mere mortals.

But were they truly _just three mere mortals?_

The answer was easy. No, they weren't. They were his children, the only ones he had ever come to love.

The love of a god. It was a rare gift and even more of a curse. In this world of deities and monsters there was nothing as dangerous as the love of a god.

More often than not it was fatal for mortals. But his children weren't fully mortal, were they? Would that change the outcome of the tragedy the Fates had chosen to weave? Did the Fates truly plan something for his children or was it just his paranoia speaking?

They had to be. Considering the circumstances that lead to all of his problems, the three sister just had to be involved.

Through the millennia many souls managed to escape the Underwold, but never like this. Never did a soul manage escape the judges and skip immediately towards the reincarnation cycle without even bathing in the river Lethe beforehand.

He send some of his best subjects after that soul, yet none managed to find it.

Until Hades came upon the soul himself. Reborn as his youngest daughter.

That shouldn't have mattered. He should have ripped the soul out of that tiny body and dragged it back into his domain.

He didn't.

That day, when he met his two youngest children for the first time and saw three pairs of dark eyes gaze upon him with curiosity, he just couldn't bring himself to harm the child. She was his daughter, nothing else mattered. Especially when he realized that harming her could very well mean the end of his other two children.

Even an idiot wouldn't have been able to overlook the strong bond they shared. What surprised him about their connection was that it reached out to him the second he appeared in that small room in Venice. Their own power, the one they inherited from him, tried to twine itself with his own.

Not many ever managed to surprise him. None lived to do it more than once.

His children were the exceptions.

And as he constantly made sure that his children were safe, brushed his aura against theirs and felt their deep sadness at their mother's death, Hades could only wonder about what the future would bring for them.


	9. Learning How To Live

**Important!**

 **I have finished editing chapter one till six. There aren't really any significant changes, but you still might want to reread the story.**

 **On another note, I have decided to change this story's rating to 'T'. Originally, I had planned the storyline a little differently than it will be now. Besides I have read a few other fanfictions that deal with the same themes and have the rating 'T'.**

 **If there comes a time where I will choose to write an 'M' rated scene, it will be either in a separate oneshot or a sequel.**

 **Also, there is another thing that I just need to mention. This story has 147 favorites and _206_ follows! You can't imagine how happy that makes me. Thanks for that.**

 **I would appreciate it if you could leave a review and hope that the next update will be much faster.**

 **Warning! Shameless self-promoting: I have published another Self-Insert story. If you like Tokyo Ghoul, you should try it out.**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. Self-Insert**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Chapter 9_

 _Learning How To Live_

* * *

 _"Man may have discovered fire, but women discovered how to play with it."_

 _― Candace Bushnell, Sex and the City_

* * *

14 January 1942

It was amusing to watch my siblings fail at shadow traveling. Running against walls. Landing at completely random destinations. The amusement that filled me each time I saw them fail was as inappropriate as it was exhilarating. I hadn't had so much fun in a long time.

Obviously, everything ceased being so amusing when father told me that it was my turn. He preferred it when we didn't train at the same time, like this he could keep watch better. Bianca, being the oldest, was the first one to try out. Nico came after her, then it was my turn.

In the Underworld there were enough shadows that it didn't matter what time of the day it was. Actually, if it weren't for the small watch mother had given to me on my seventh birthday, I wouldn't have known when a day started and ended and my perception of...well, everything time related would have been completely muddled.

The first time I ran against a wall, I felt like crying. Not because I felt ashamed or frustrated, no, it was because I almost broke my nose. Gods, did it hurt.

Afterwards, a smirking Nico gave me a piece of ambrosia and practically told me to suck it up. The only thing that stopped me from being mad a him was the way he kept rubbing his own nose.

None of us managed to shadow travel on the first day, neither on the second. The third and forth weren't any better.

My twin was the first one to do it, landing somewhere in a small village in China. He passed out and father retrieved him before anything bad could happen. Nico didn't wake up for the next three days.

It took Bianca two weeks to manage shadow traveling to Bulgaria. She landed in the capital and when she finally woke up after a few days of sleep, she told me that what she managed to glimpse of the capital was quiet beautiful.

Despite my siblings happiness, my mood was at it lowest. Three weeks and I still hadn't managed to get the shadows to swallow me. I had even developed an irritated tick. Each time I ran against a wall my eye started to twitch in an ugly way.

Father was more than amused.

''You need to focus, Nora. Become one with the shadows, but do not let them swallow you. You're the one in power.'' He told me for what felt like the thousandth time.

I glared at him. Father would have blasted me into pieces had I been anyone else. As it was he just gave me an unimpressed look.

I turned away from him and huffed. The time had come for another meeting with the wall. Yay me.

Predictably, I once again hit the solid object. Luckily, in the last three weeks I had learned the perfect way of avoiding most of the pain.

The shoulder that collided with the castle's brick wall throbbed slightly. By now I was way to used to the pain to even spare it more than a thought.

On the other hand, I had to stop myself from punching something. I didn't fancy a broken hand.

I was broken out of my angry musings by father. He gently ruffled my hair and patted my wounded shoulder lightly. ''Maybe you should try again tomorrow.''

I registered that it wasn't a request but a demand, yet that did not stop me from denying him. Normally, I wasn't so bold. After all, I knew better than to anger my father. ''No, I will do it today.'' My eyes widened in an innocent way. ''Just two hours. I will stop the moment those two hours are over.''

''No longer than two hours, Nora. I will not watch you hurting yourself.'' His gaze moved away from me. ''I have some things to take care of. Don't leave the castle.''

He probably didn't want me colliding with Persephone too far away from him. The goddess had been in a foul mood for a few days and she liked showing this foul mood to us. Rancid woman.

''Yes, yes.'' I was already a few steps away from the wall, regarding it with thinly veiled hatred.

And then I was running and colliding with it once again.

And again and again.

What did I do to deserve this?

With both of my hands on my hips, I stared unblinkingly at the wall. Or to be more exact, at the shadow it was creating.

It was really weird. I could will the shadow to move in all directions, I could hide in it, but I could not shadow travel. You have no idea how frustrating this was.

My shoulder hurt after my hundredth rendez-vous with the brick. I seriously considered giving up, but the knowledge that I would have to continue this the next day stopped me from doing so.

Maybe I just wasn't meant to shadow travel? Maybe I hadn't inherited the ability?

It sounded lame even to me.

Those thoughts were proven wrong some time later(It wasn't at the end of those two hours. Nothing remotely as cliché.) when I felt myself being ripped into all directions. Compared to this, shadow traveling with father was a pleasant experience. The vertigo I felt was almost as bad as the exhaustion the usage of shadow traveling caused me. When I finally arrived at my destination the first thing I did was throwing up my dinner. Poor pizza.

Anyway, while in the shadows I planned on arriving in our old home in Venice. Somehow, I was more than certain that it's not where I landed. Considering the Asian people all around me I could only guess where I was. They were looking at me as if I had grown a second head. Perhaps, that's what the mist made them see.

I promptly passed out. I could only hope that father caught me before I landed in my own vomit.

* * *

27 April 1942

Shadow Traveling became quiet useful after we got the hang of it. We could finally leave the Underworld without our father( Not that he truly let us do that. He always watched us, no matter where we were.). Often times he send one of his subjects with us. I believe that Alecto has come to hate us because of that. She hated playing babysitter.

There were only a few instances where we were allowed to leave on our own. One of those instances being me visiting _'Charlotte's Sweets and Sweeties'._

I think I started doing it as some kind of punishment. Going back to the place which reminded me of the day my mother died. Eating the toffees that I came to love that day. That left a bitter taste in my mouth each time I ate them.

I went there so often that it caught the attention of shopkeeper. Her name was Charlotte, obviously. She was a middle aged woman with blonde hair and coffee brown eyes. There were small freckles on her nose and a dimple in her left cheek.

No one could ever replace my mother, but she came close to it.

It was after two weeks of constant visits that she spoke to me for the first time. Normally, one of her workers would wait behind the register, take my money and let me leave without a comment. On that day she was the one who took my payment.

As she packet my toffees in a bag, she said, ''You like those a lot, don't you? Maybe I could teach you how to make them?''

At that moment I felt like a drowning woman taking a much needed intake of air.

Charlotte Lambert taught me how to bake and became my last true link to the mortal world. Before her my mother held that role, the only mortal in my life.

The way I attached myself to other people wasn't normal and neither could it be healthy. Somehow, I couldn't care less.

Nico and Bianca never met her. I just knew that they wouldn't have liked her. Most likely, they would have accused me of trying to replace our mother. I would never do that.

But I was only eleven and truly desired a mother figure.

'' _L_ _es œufs,_ Nora. Do not forget _les œufs_.'' Charlotte said while pointing at the eggs on the counter. She had a thick french accent.

I nodded my head and reached forward with one hand. ''I know.''

We were currently backing a chocolate cake with strawberries. I was preparing the dough, whereas Charlotte prepared the chocolate filling.

The older woman smiled a little and added some sugar into the bowl in front of her. ''Have you turned the _four_ on, _petit amour?''_

I was so glad that I had taken some french classes in my previous life. Otherwise I wouldn't have known what she was talking about half of the time we spend together.

''Uhm...'' I smiled sheepishly. ''No? I will do it now.''

Charlotte waved her right hand in front of my face. '' _Non, non._ You cannot stop mixing _la pâte_ _._ I will do it.''

I added some cocoa into the dough and mixed it slowly. Charlotte always took care to tell me that it was important to be gentle with the movement. When it was finally smooth and none of the ingredients were recognizable, I put the dough into a round baking tin.

''Give it to me. I will put it into the _four._ '' The french woman picked the baking tin up. ''It should be ready in an hour.''

I sat down on a chair near the kitchen counter. I couldn't wait to finally eat the cake. Have I mentioned before how much I love chocolate and strawberries?

''When do you have to go home, Nora?'' She washed her hands in the sink and dried them with a green towel.

''Father is awaiting me in two hours.'' I smiled slightly. ''There is still enough time for me to eat some of the cake. I am sure that it will be _fantastique._ ''

As it turned out, the cake really was fantastic. When I started those meetings with Charlotte I thought that I would be horrible at baking, after all, I couldn't even cook some rice in my previous life. But I had to admit that I enjoyed baking.

I shadow-traveled home one and a half hour later. Luckily, Charlotte allowed me to take some of the cake home with me.

My siblings did not ask where the cake came from. They didn't _want_ to know. But they did enjoy eating it.


	10. Meeting the Family

**Ilovedarkpasts: Thank you for pointing out that mistake. I will correct it in all the other chapters when I have some free time. I think it's imortant for me to mention that English is not my first and neither my second language, thus I sometimes don't know that something is wrong before someone tells me that it is in fact wrong.**

 **Anyway, thanks for telling me and actually being nice about it.**

 **Fustilugs**  
 **It's the perfect sounding word to describe an ill-natured looking person.**

 **Slackumtrance**  
 **It refers to a messy or dirty woman.**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. Self-Insert**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Chapter 10_

 _Meeting the Family_

* * *

6 July 1943

The dead could be immensely amusing. Most of them were incredibly unsatisfied with their deaths or simply couldn't accept that they were _dead._ They liked showing their displeasure through bitching around.

Because most of them managed to realize the situation they are in, they obviously did not insult death. After all, it wouldn't be wise to anger Charon or Thanatos, let alone our father. They preferred insulting the living and those who had wronged them.

While some of those insults might have been justified, others were just ridiculous.

 _''That harlot! That full-gorged harlot!''_ A young girl in an old looking dress cried out in disbelieve. She was waving her hands in all directions and her face was scrunched up in an ugly grimace. Her young age made all this even more unfitting and amusing.

Then there was a group of three woman. They were from the 16th century. That I knew because they were talking about Anne Boleyn. Or rather they were cursing her into the deepest pits of hell. Considering how long ago they died, they must have been talking about one woman for a few centuries. And I wasn't exaggerating anything. I had been observing them for two hours by now and even a few more times through the last three weeks. They never talked about anything else.

Another soul, a man wearing quiet 'modern' clothes, actually tried to bargain with Charon for his life, offering him Russian Ruble. Charon looked at him as if he were an idiot. From my point of view, he was.

''Look there, Nora.'' Nico pointed to my right. We were sitting near the entrance of the Underworld, observing the souls that still haven't been guided across the Styx.

Looking in the direction Nico was pointing at with his hand, I saw two woman and a man. The man looked quite lost between the both of them. It could have been because the two woman were shouting at each other. I never knew that someone could shout so loud. The cries of outrage were so loud that I couldn't make out most of what they were saying. But the words I did manage to make out were _'mistress, slackumtrance, harlot and man-stealing fustilugs'._ Looks like the wife met the mistress. Gods, this was better than some soap operas.

''Those are some truly...interesting insults.'' I laughed loudly, while Nico snickered. We really needed to work on our humor.

A new group of souls entered and I couldn't help but think that this place was getting really crowded. Father should start looking for some new workers because it was quite obvious that Charon alone wasn't enough.

For a moment I felt sorry for all the souls who spend decades or even centuries here before they were granted passage across the river Styx. I was more than sure that I would never have to wait like that. Not many demigods had to. Children of Hades were given passage the moment they died and entered the Underworld.

''I wonder if they will continue fighting for the rest of eternity.'' Nico put his elbow on his knee and leaned his head against his hand. ''I doubt they will be given separate afterlives. Infidelity isn't seen as a crime, thus unworthy of the Fields of Punishment.''

I regarded the three souls with a curious gaze. They looked completely average, maybe a little richer than most people. ''As long as they did not commit some unforgivable crime against the gods I doubt that they will be punished. None of them are demigods or anything special at all, so they will most likely be send to the Fields of Asphodel together.''

Nico nodded his head in agreement. ''I can imagine the Judges sending them there together for their own amusement.''

''Probably.'' I shook my head and elbowed my twin's side lightly. ''Maybe they will manage to solve their problems.''

Nico laughed. ''I doubt that.''

''You never know.'' I grinned brightly. ''But I do share your opinion on that matter.''

One of the souls, from the way he dressed I could only guess that he was newly deceased, stopped moving in front of us and our conversation ceased. His eyes regarded us in a way that made me entirely uncomfortable. ''Are you in charge?''

Nico stood up and stepped in front of me, shielding me from the unknown soul. We were sitting on a small slope, thus Nico was standing on eye level with the man. ''No.''

This did nothing to deter the man. ''But you know someone who is.''

I rose from my sitting position. ''You should leave us alone. The ferryman will be arriving soon, you wouldn't want to miss him.''

''So you do know the person in charge of this place.'' He paused. ''Lead me to him. I do not belong here.''

''Sure you don't.'' Nico snorted. We were slowly drawing the attention of the others. Souls of different times were already gossiping about what was happening between us. It wasn't often that someone dared to challenge the children of Hades. Most souls knew to stay away.

The man narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. ''I want to talk with your leader.''

Poor, poor soul. He had no idea what he was demanding from us. ''Believe me, you do not want to talk with him.''

''I be-'' He froze in place as a shadow fell over us from behind. With wide eyes the man took a step backwards. ''Is there a problem, Prince Nico, Princess Nora?''

In her true form Alecto presented quite the terrifying image. It was no wonder that the man stepped back the moment he noticed her. ''Of course not, Alecto. The man was just leaving.''

And he did leave without another word. Both of us turned around to look at the fury. ''Did father send you?''

''You are to be back at the palace for dinner.'' She informed us. Then she proceeded to leave to most likely torture some unfortunate soul.

''Rude.'' I muttered under my breath.

The amusement I felt momentarily coursing through me wasn't Nico's and neither was it mine. These situation could sometimes get really awkward. For example I could be angrily shouting at someone only to be interrupted by my sibling's feelings, which lead to me laughing like a maniac.

Nico was already looking in Bianca's direction. ''You could have helped us, you know.''

''As if you needed my help.'' She smiled as she stepped out of the shadows. ''If the situation got really dire you would have _forced_ him away. Besides you were amusing yourself and Alecto stopped this from escalating into a problem.''

''Now, now, that's not nice, Bianca.'' I pouted.

''I am not here to be nice, little sister.'' The smirk that had been on her face since the moment she graced us with her presence disappeared. ''I need you to come somewhere with me.''

My posture became rigid when I felt her unease. ''What's happening? Why do you need us to come with you? Where exactly?''

One of her hands went into the bag she had slung over her shoulder. Out of it she took two crumpled pieces of paper. ''Here. I'll be waiting for you.''

She left the second the papers touched our hands. I raised my eyebrows when I noticed the address written upon them.

 _Rue Dauphine, Paris_

Paris? What could be so important in Paris?

''Are you coming?'' Nico asked and grabbed my right hand. He did not seem to be too worried. That's good, wasn't it? ''Yeah.''

The shadows swallowed us.

* * *

It was a pretty street. Nothing special, but still quiet pretty.

I looked around and spotted Bianca at the entrance of an apartment complex. She was waving her hands, beckoning us to come to her. We did exactly what she wanted us to do.

''Why are we here, Bianca?'' I asked, curiously looking at the building in front of us. ''Why do you act so...secretive?''

''Father cannot know that we are here.'' She stopped whatever Nico planned to say by putting her hand onto his mouth. ''He wont like it.''

Now I stared at her as if she were an idiot. Purposefully doing something that father would disapprove of. Was she completely out of her mind? ''Why wont he like it? What are we doing here, sister?''

She shuffled her feet a little. ''I met one of our siblings.''

For a moment Hitler came to my mind and then Mussolini. The only thing that stop me from shouting at her was the fact that we were in France and not Germany or Italy. ''You met one of our siblings.'' I repeated almost dumbly.

Nico narrowed his eyes dangerously. ''Did he or she attack you?''

''No, _he_ did not.'' Bianca smiled softly. ''He is barely two years old.''

I couldn't stop the smile from stretching across my lips. ''We have a little brother?''

I could feel the relief she felt. Did Bianca think that we would reject our own brother? We weren't that bad, were we?

Biana grinned widely. ''Do you wish to meet him?''

''You mean sneak into some stranger's home?'' Nico raised his eyebrow. ''Sure. Why not?''

Bianca grabbed a hand from each of us and dragged us into the shadow. I did not expect for her to act so rashly. Normally, she was the one who thought the things through.

We couldn't just break into some house, could we?

Apparently we could. Not even a second later we appeared in the middle of a hallway. It was an ordinary apartment. Its owner must have been neither rich nor poor.

Putting a finger against her lips, Bianca lead us down the hallway. Shadows gathered around us, hiding us from whoever else was in the apartment. And I knew that other people were there, I heard them in what I presumed to be the living room. They were speaking french so I couldn't really tell what it was about.

We arrived at a white door. It was closed and lead very obviously into a nursery. There were cute pictures on the door, after all.

The door squeaked when we pushed it open. Luckily, no one seemed to hear it.

The nursery was dark with neutral colored drapes keeping all the light from it. In the middle was a wooden mahogany crib. The power that radiated from it was both forceful and familiar.

Bianca was the first to enter the room. She beelined towards the crib, not looking behind even once.

The boy was awake, so she could pick him up without any problems. Unexpectedly, he had dark ginger hair and skin almost as pale as ours. The eyes were all our father's though. Intense and manic.

He should have been afraid of us, especially because he was a demigod and we were a group of strangers. He wasn't. Perhaps he could feel the same sense of familiarity that I felt around him. I knew without a doubt that he was our _family._ Of course there wasn't the same bond that I shared with Nico and Bianca, not even half as strong, but I was still fond of him.

That did not change the fact that I found his innocent eyes way too trusting.

Bianca supported him with one hand against his bum and the other on his back. ''His name is Jerome Chevalier. He is about 23 months old and Greek.''

Greek. That should have been a weird thing to be put into an introduction, but in our world that was pretty normal. After all, whether he was a child of Hades or Pluto would determine his future powers. ''May I hold him?''

''Of course.'' Bianca secured her grip on him before taking a step closer to me. ''Here. Do not let him fall.''

Jerome was light. Lighter than I expected him to be. Was that normal?

''It's war time, Nora. Food isn't the cheapest right now.'' Bianca answered my unasked question. For a moment I felt like a complete idiot.

Before any of us could do something, Nico stuck his face in front of the little boy. Way to be creepy, my dear twin.

''He is ginger.'' The older son of Hades said almost incredulously.

I blinked once and then for a second time. ''At least it's a pretty ginger. I am sure that he will be very handsome when he is older.''

Now Nico gave me an incredulous look. ''What does it matter if he will be handsome? Besides I wasn't patronizing his hair color. I just did not expect one of our siblings to have such a coloration.''

I laughed a little. ''What? Did you expect him to look like us. Dark hair and eyes and all that?''

''Well, yes.'' My dear twin looked a little embarrassed.

Jerome's cute yawn hindered me from saying anything else. Gods, he was so cute. Definitely one of our siblings. ''Are you sleepy, _bambino?''_ I rocked him in my arms and turned towards my older siblings. ''We should probably leave before someone else notices us. Besides, father wants us to be home for dinner.''

Fortunately, both of them nodded in agreement.

I kissed the little boy's forehead and gently laid him down inside his crib.

He was asleep before we even left the room.


	11. Where The Story Begins

**IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!**

 **I have added an extra scene at the end of this chapter. You should read it or the next one will seem a little hurried.**

 **I'm not sure when I will update chapter twelve because school starts on Monday. But I have already started writing it, so it shouldn't be too long.**

 **sasuhina542000**

 **Enjoy.  
**

* * *

 **Cat Beats: You have mentioned that Nora seems more like a '** **spectator and less of a main character'. I have to agree with your opinion and that makes me slightly sad. Nora is the main character of this story, but she does seem a little impassive and uninvolved. This has to do with many things, among them the fact that she doesn't really know what she _should_ do. Behind every action she takes there is always the fear of doing something wrong and changing the future for the worse. Besides, Nora was only seventeen when she died and as she grew up in this new family she had no experiences that could help her mature.  
**

 **In this new life she was spoiled by Hades and never truly had to take responsibility for anything, thus she still has the mindset of a teenager.**

 **On another note, I'm trying to slowly separate her from her siblings. You must understand that they share a very strong bond. They can't lie to each other and always know what the others are feeling. Sometimes they can't even differ which emotions belong to whom. That's something that actually deeply troubles Nora, but she doesn't know what to do against it.**

 **I will try to give her some 'alone time' in the future and hopefully change her from a spectator into the main character she was supposed to be.**

 **Man, did that end up being long.**

 **sasuhina542000**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. Self-Insert  
**

 **Have fun.**

* * *

 _Chapter 11_

 _Where The Story Begins_

* * *

 _"Sometimes you have to choose between a bunch of wrong choices and no right ones. You just have to choose which wrong choices feels the least wrong."_  
 _― Colleen Hoover, Hopeless_

 _"I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself."_  
 _― Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis_

* * *

4 March 1945

Between constant visits to Jerome or Charlotte and the time I spend in the Underworld, I never noticed how much the things in the mortal world were changing. 1944 came and left and the only indication for that was the growing Jerome. And now that 1945 had arrived I knew that World War II would soon end, just as I knew that my father wouldn't be the winner.

Father was aware of that as well. It was impossible for us to leave the Underworld without being accompanied by one of the furies. He preferred to keep us in his sight, even tough the anger we felt from him at such a close proximity threatened to drown us.

Our training became more brutal and we were forced to delve deeper into the powers that we inherited from him. We learned to control the dead in quality and quantity. Both very important to our father.

As we weren't allowed to leave much for the mortal world, we explored the Underworld. Wandered across the shores of its rivers, ran through the field of Asphodel, tried to tame Cerberus as good as we could and sneaked into the ferry boat to drive across the river Styx.

As long as we were in his domain, father couldn't care less about what we were doing.

We still sneaked out into the mortal world as often as we could, that never changed. Yet we knew better than to do so on days that father seemed more agitated or angry than normally.

Most of those days one of our siblings died. I met a few of them. Some nice, others complete maniacs. That was to be expected.

Every time we visited Jerome, we had to make sure that our presence did not attract monster too close to him. Thus we spend a lot of our time purging the area around his home from all the monster that we could find. After a while they learned to stay away.

However, I would never forget the time we were attacked by a Manticore. It had the body of a red lion, fur missing at some places. The human head it had possessed did nothing to make it seem less of a threat. And let's not forget about the three rows of very sharp and yellow teeth. The foul smell that penetrated the area each time the creature let some air out of its mouth wasn't anything pleasant.

Have I already mentioned the tail? No? What a shame. Let me describe it.

As if the monster needed more intimidation factors, it had a giant green and black, scorpion-like tail at its back. The whole thing was larger than I was. It could shoot poisonous spikes as well, if you were wondering.

I ended up running from those spikes in all directions. Nico and Bianca, too.

Fortunately, it was already late and not many people were wandering the streets. Instead of a high number of casualties, the streets and stands were left heavily damaged in our wake.

We managed to lure the monster away from Jerome's home into a ominous alleyway. It was there that Bianca tripped over her own feet and accidentally cut off the Manticore's tail. Then she knocked herself out by head-collision with asphalt.

At that moment it hadn't been as hilarious as it was now, but I still froze for a second to stare at her in disbelieve. I was forced to act when the Manticore started to move angrily in my unconscious sister's direction. With shadow traveling I arrived in time to stop the monster's incoming attack and get my sister away from there.

I observed from the entrance of the alley how Nico jumped on the Manticore's back and pierced it with his sword. The monster exploded in a cloud of golden dust and showered my twin in it.

He had looked truly ridiculous.

That night father had found out about our daily visits to our brother. He wasn't pleased.

We were happy that he did not forbid us to visit Jerome again. Father actually accompanied us few times. During those visits our little brother seemed the happiest. He craved father's attention just as much as we did.

On another note, he finally gained some weight. Each time we came to visit, we brought him something to eat. Fruit or vegetable mash, some soup or sweets. The little boy had a sweet tooth that was almost as bad as mine.

Yet, no matter how much time we spend in his company, the bond we shared never extended to him. I was ashamed to admit that I was glad.

Anyway, we were talking about father's foul mood. Today it seemed especially bad. He looked angry and ready to murder the first person that dared to irritate him.

But under all the layers of his anger, I could feel a spark of worry starting to ignite a giant fire. Something bad must have happened.

Maybe one of our siblings died once again?

''What happened, _papa?_ '' Nico asked with a slight frown on his face. For father to feel truly worried something really bad must have happened, the three of us knew that. ''Is something bad _going to happen?_ ''

Father put the cutlery he had been using down on the table. ''A prophecy has been spoken.''

My throat felt very dry suddenly. This couldn't be happening.

Bianca's fork stopped half way to her mouth. ''A prophecy?''

''Does it concern us?'' My twin asked nervously. He was aware of the fact that prophecies never meant anything good. ''Who spoke it?''

Father's voice didn't give away anything from the inner turmoil he was experiencing. ''The Oracle. I am not certain if it concerns you.''

''What's the prophecy, _papa?''_ I could feel the blood rushing into my head. It was a wonder I was still conscious. Perhaps it wasn't _that_ prophecy. Perhaps I changed something.

Deep down I knew that those were the hopes of a fool. History repeated itself already once, it would do so again. And I couldn't even tell what this prophecy would mean for us. I had no idea how all of this worked. Was Percy Jackson destined to become the Child of Prophecy or could someone else take his place? If Bianca, whose sixteenth birthday was only a few month away, reached the required age before him, would she be forced to make the decision between destroy or preserve?

My thoughts were interrupted by a very unwanted truth.

 _''A half-blood of the eldest gods_

 _Shall reach sixteen against all odds_

 _And see the world in endless sleep_

 _The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap_

 _A single choice shall end his days_

 _Olympus to preserve or raze''_

Silence reigned the room when father finished reciting the prophecy. We all looked at each other, feeling a heavy weight settle upon our shoulders.

''It does not have to be me. Prophecies are rarely what they seem.'' My sister's voice trembled slightly. ''It does not have to be me.''

I cleared my throat and spoke up. ''Are there other, uhm, _candidates?''_

''All the others are either too old or dead. There are no other candidates.'' Father was regarding us with unreadable eyes. I could only wonder what he was thinking about.

Nico leaned back in his chair and tightened his hold on the table. ''What's the plan?''

The god frowned slightly and gazed at Bianca with almost worried eyes. ''There are a few options. One of them being the Lotus Hotel.''

''The one in Las Vegas?'' The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. ''Lotus Hotel and Casino, I think. From what I have heard one does not age there.''

''Yes, that one. Wherever did you hear of it?'' His hand slid through his dark, silky hair. I would like to say that is made him seem almost human, but it would have been a lie. He did not let me answer his question. ''It does not matter. The problem with this option is that you would have to wait for the time when one of my brother's would finally decide to have a child of their own. That wouldn't have been difficult, if not for the fact that they are planning to make a pact that prevents us from having mortal offspring.''

My sister leaned her head on the table. ''It could be decades or centuries till a new child of Zeus or Poseidon would be born. And I certainly do not want you to sacrifice one of our siblings.'' Her eyes widened. ''By the gods, Jerome. If one of us doesn't become the 'Hero', he will have to.''

I rubbed my temple. A headache was coming. ''We do not have much of a choice either. The moment our dear uncles find out about our existence, they will be out to get us. We will either die or be trapped here for the rest of our existence.''

''Nora is right.'' Nico gazed into Bianca's eyes. ''Father cannot make us immortal. The other gods would never approve. There cannot be another war so soon after we lost this one.''

None of us had dared to mention father's inevitable loss before. ''Jerome is too young to be taken away from his mother. If we would do that, he might hate us for doing so in the future.''

''Then we could just let the prophecy pass. It doesn't have to be about me.'' Bianca was stubbornly looking down at the table.

Did she really think we would do that? Take the chance of putting a horrible fate upon her? Was she really that naive?

Luckily, father got involved before an argument could break out. ''You know that I wont let that happen, Bianca. The risks are to high. If you truly fear for Jerome's safety so much, I could bring him to the hotel when he is old enough.''

''Aren't we even debating the hotel idea anymore?'' She sounded almost hysteric. Actually she was hysteric, I could feel the strong emotion creeping into me.

I was sure I looked just as agitated as Nico did.

''Calm down, daughter.'' And she did just that. Not even we denied father something when he used that voice. ''Together with your siblings you will go into the Lotus Hotel. You have no other choice. Out of all the options that's the best one. You will _obey_ me.''

''Yes, _papa.''_ The three of us chorused. I suspected that there weren't really any other options to begin with. Father, most likely, planned this from the start.

Bianca pursed her lips. This wasn't the end of this discussion. My sister wouldn't say anything now, not while our father was in such a foul mood, but she would do so in the future.

She would try and she would fail.

There really wasn't any way for us to escape our destiny, huh?

* * *

Letting go was never easy.

It wasn't just getting rid of an unwanted object. Neither was it just uttering the word 'goodbye' to a person one would never see again.

Letting go was like loosing a part of oneself. I knew that better than most.

Nadia Nowikow was an average young girl. She had a large family; a mother, a father, siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles. The 21th century offered her many future possibilities. She was a girl with an unknown future and a life filled with modern perks.

Nadia Nowikow was a dead girl.

Nora di Angelo replaced her. Maybe not so much replaced as was forced to become. Like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.

I didn't know if that comparison was accurate. Many people considered the butterfly to be more beautiful than the caterpillar. 'Nora' was anything but beautiful.

She was born from a girl that lost everything. Her family, her home, her future.

 _I was Nadia and Nora._

Yet, I preferred to keep those two(personalities? entities?) separated. Compared to 'Nora', 'Nadia' had been an innocent and naive girl. She had been _good._

'Nora' was what remained of a girl that lost everything and learned to let go for her own survival.

To survive _I had to let go_ of my first family, friends, home and future. I had to somehow accept a new life. A life where almost none of what I considered as normal existed. No TVs, no internet, no microwaves, no smartphones and so many other things.

Could I truly compare what we were currently going through to what I once had to survive on my own?

No. Letting go of my previous life was a lot of harder than any of this would ever be. And even though I already got used to this new time period, I wouldn't exactly miss it.

I now knew of the past, the present and the future. I also knew that the future would be shitty but not all that worse than the past.

Letting go of the 20th century wouldn't be hard. There wasn't anything I particularly enjoyed here that couldn't be found in another time.

What I had a problem with was saying 'goodbye' to the people I had come to care about. There weren't many of them, mind you. I think that was what made the whole situation so bad.

In this new life as 'Nora' I did not have much socially wise. There had been my mother who was dead now.

Which left me with my immortal father, two siblings who would be coming with me, a french woman that taught me how to bake and reminded me of one of 'Nadia's' aunts and lastly Jerome, the little brother that was too young to leave his family but would join us on our adventure soon enough.

Among them was only one person whom I truly needed to let go of.

 _Charlotte_

For a second I wondered if I should even bother. That thought alone scared me enough into doing what was right. I would regret it someday if I did not seek her out one last time.

When had I become so cold? I did not want to know.

A small part of me wanted to forget. What exactly I wasn't sure. Maybe who I was. What would happen tomorrow. How I constantly lied to myself.

 _(I pretended to not care about the fact that in some ways I would miss eighty years of a life I could have had. I pretended that what was to come did not scare me.)_

My footsteps were silent as I walked through the dark streets of Washington, D.C. Many people bustled around me, trying to finish their endeavors before it was too late and the shops started to close.

Sometimes I wished to be like them. To not know what dangers this world truly offered. To only worry about a job and how to get a good husband. To have meaningless worries and a safe life.

Sometimes I wished to be fully mortal. Not a reincarnation of another universe that remembered her family's gruesome future, unable to change anything for the better.

Mother was dead. Would Bianca also die because of my incompetence? What if I somehow stopped her death and caused Nico's instead?

I wasn't capable enough to safe mother. My presence alone did not change enough for us not to land in the Lotus Hotel.

Was all that destined to happen? Were the Fates that cruel?

My feet stopped moving in front of a familiar door. There was a large colorful sign above it.

 _Charlotte's Sweets and Sweeties_

The store had already closed. But I knew that Charlotte would be still inside, preparing goods for the next day.

Involuntarily, one of my hands moved up and knocked on the door. Once, twice, thrice.

Through a window next to the door I saw a dark figure leaving the kitchen at the other end of the store. She shuffled towards the wall and used a light switch to turn on a lamp. _''Je serai là!''_

The store was lightened by a small lamp on the counter. Charlotte strolled slowly towards the door, looking suspiciously through the window. She did not expect any visitors.

When she finally noticed me a small smile came upon her face. The woman hurried and opened the entrance for me. _''Bonsoir, petit amour._ What are you doing here so late?''

Her blonde locks were tousled and flour stained the front of her clothes. There was even some chocolate on her right cheek.

''May I come inside?'' Rarely did my voice sound so unsure.

This seemed to worry the older woman. She moved backwards and ushered me inside the store. ''Of course, Nora. Come inside.''

With her hand on my back she started leading me towards the kitchen. Almost unconsciously, my eyes observed the store. Would it still be here in a few decades?

The kitchen was warm. Charlotte must have forgotten to close the oven when she hurriedly left the room to see who was knocking. There was even a cake in there.

'' _Chocolat._ Your favorite.'' The blonde ruffled my hair lightly and after putting gloves on her hands she pulled the backing tin out of the oven and onto the counter. ''Why are you here, Nora? Did you have a fight with your siblings?''

I sat down on a chair and leaned my elbows on the table before me. ''No, I did not fight with my siblings.''

''Ah.'' She started cutting a few strawberries that she had taken out of the fridge. ''Your _papa,_ perhaps?''

I did not answer immediately, waited till she finished preparing my dessert and put a plate of chocolate cake and strawberries on the table. With an encouraging smile Charlotte sat down across from me. ''You should wait till _le gâteau_ cools down.''

''Thank you, Miss Charlotte.'' Using a fork, I put a strawberry into my mouth. Then another one. ''I did not fight with my father either.''

Charlotte hummed and took a strawberry for herself. ''But something is troubling you.''

She had always been very perceptive. I believed Charlotte even suspected that there was something different about me. That I wasn't completely human.

I took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. ''I am leaving.''

Her smile slid off her face and a small frown marred her forehead. Another strawberry was popped into her mouth. ''You are not coming back.''

''Not in time to see you again.'' With the fork I cut a piece of the cake and stuffed it into my mouth. I did not care about the burns it left me.

Charlotte stood up and went to the fridge. She took out a bottle of milk and poured it into a glass.

''Here.'' I took the glass out of her hand. ''I do not believe that not seeing me again is what truly troubles you.''

I bit my lip. ''I care about you.''

''That I do not doubt. But neither do I think that it is what troubles you.'' The blonde woman had a gentle look in her eyes. ''What happened, Nora?''

My gaze moved to the wall behind her. ''I fear what the future holds.''

She would never know the true meaning behind my words, and yet what she said next still managed to comfort me. Even if only tiny little bit. ''You are still so young, Nora. To fear _le futur_ , that is not a good thing. Especially because _le futur_ holds so many possibilities. If you fear it, you will get stuck in the past and never experience what the world truly has to offer. Be it bad or _good.''_

''The problem is that there might be a lot of more 'bad' than 'good'.'' I mumbled dispassionately.

Our eyes met and Charlotte reached out with her hand to take mine. ''I cannot deny that.''

She did not say anything else and I was glad that she didn't. There wasn't anything that could be done to stop my fears. Tomorrow I would enter the Lotus Hotel and Casino. I would spend there what felt like one or two months but actually would be more than seven decades.

When we would finally leave the hotel a new century would be there to great us. A century in which my elder sister was fated to die.

This whole thing was a tragedy in the making.

I did not want to face the future. Meeting Percy Jackson did not sound as great as it did when I was an eleven years old Nadia.

Being a part of the war sounded even less appealing.

For the first time in years I felt like crawling under my bed and never coming out again.

.

.

.

 _That did not stop me from entering the Hotel on the 6th March 1945._


	12. A Future Foretold

**I have finally finished chapter twelve. It's the longest chapter I have written for this story. More than 5k.  
**

 **I'm sorry for my long absence. There aren't really any excuses I can give you besides the most common ones about school and all that shit.**

 **Anyway, this chapter is written a little differently than the other ones. If it bothers you all just tell me and I'll change it.**

 **Nora's point of view is written in italics. The other view in normal writing.**

 **I hope the characters aren't too OOC. Sorry if that's the case.**

 **I would also like to mention that I have published a new Self-Insert story for PJO. You might want to try it out.**

 **Please leave a review.**

 **Rating for this chapter: T  
**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. Self-Insert  
**

 **Have fun.**

* * *

 _Chapter 12_

 _A Future Foretold_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Where Past Meets Present_

* * *

 _"Hate the sin, love the sinner."_  
 _― Mahatma Gandhi_

 _"There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable."_  
 _― Mark Twain_

* * *

Percy Jackson had learned to expect the unexpected. The instances where the 'unexpected' still surprised him became rarer with each passing year. He liked to believe that this fact was quite understandable after everything that happened to him.

Being attacked by a mythical creature. Check.

Finding out that he was the demigod son of Poseidon. Check.

Meeting angry Greek Gods that tried to kill him more than once. Double check.

Compared to all the things that already happened to him, not much could be surprising anymore.

And thus he wasn't even slightly astounded when he was called back into camp in the middle of his school semester because the Oracle had spoken a new prophecy.

He didn't even wonder why they needed _him_ to be there. Only a day earlier Annabeth had gone to camp because of the disappearance of one of her siblings. Knowing her, she most likely got involved in the whole mess.

''What took you so long, Kelp Head?! We've been waiting for hours.'' The Daughter of Athena was standing near Thalia's pine tree, with both of her hands on her hips she gave him an impatient look.

He did not dare tell her that she should have been happy about him being there at all. His mother, Sally Jackson, had been more than unhappy when she heard about his plans of taking another quest.

''I'm here now, aren't I, Wise Girl?'' He grinned brightly. ''Let's go talk to Chiron.''

Annabeth did not grace him with an answer, she only took his hand in her own and started dragging him towards the Big House. On their way there some campers waved in his direction, others only glared at him disdainfully. He knew why they did it and couldn't even fault them for their actions.

Why did he get to go on another quest while they had to stay at camp and hope that one day they would be able to prove themselves to their godly parent?

If he could have, he would have given the quest to anyone who was willing. But he couldn't, they all knew that.

The stairs squeaked slightly as they climbed them to enter the Big House. A small group of people was already there, waiting for them. Among those people were his best friend Grover, Chiron and Mr. D. The later looking completely uninterested.

''Here you are, Peter Johnson.'' The god took a sip of his diet coke. ''How much longer did you want to keep us waiting?''

Percy smiled sheepishly and rubbed his neck. ''I'm sorry. The traffic was really bad.''

''Mortals and their excuses.'' Mr. D turned his head slightly to the right, dismissing the demigod in front of him completely.

Being already used to that behavior, Percy moved to a chair and sat down on it. ''So, can someone tell me what this all is about?''

Annabeth looked ready to murder him. ''The prophecy, Seaweed Brain!''

''I know.'' Percy rolled his eyes. ''You just forgot to tell me the prophecy when you called. And you were so exited when we talked that I didn't want interrupt you.''

This time it was her who looked sheepish. ''Sorry.''

The son of Poseidon waved his hand dismissively. ''It's fine.'' His gaze moved to Chiron. ''Could you tell me the prophecy?''

Chiron was smiling, as if amused by their actions. ''Of course.''

Momentarily, his voice became serious. Percy could feel a shiver crawling up and down his spine.

 _''Three shall go West to a place well known_

 _A great secret there will be shown_

 _Among the Rich a traitor stands_

 _Extinguished by a madman's hands_

 _And then the dead shall rise and bring mayhem_

 _A child of Hades being among them''_

Percy didn't know what to say. The prophecy wasn't the worst sounding one. If one ignored the part with the madman and the dead rising, it actually sounded quite nice.

''What do you think?'' Annabeth asked. She looked nervous.

Percy looked thoughtful for a moment. ''Do we know the exact location of 'West' and who the 'Three' are?''

It was Chiron who answered. ''The Oracle came to Annabeth with the prophecy. And as for the location, we have already thought of a few places.''

Percy turned to the daughter of Athena. ''You want me to accompany you?''

''Yes.'' She nodded her head. ''I hoped you and Grover would be willing to come with me?''

Percy's gaze softened. He just couldn't stop himself. ''Of course.''

''Percy!'' Grover whined. ''Don't answer for me.''

''Are you telling me you won't come with us?'' The son of Poseidon asked with a large grin on his face. He already knew the answer to that question.

Grover massaged his temple with his left hand. ''Someone needs to make sure that the both of you don't get in too much trouble.''

''Of course.'' Annabeth and Percy chorused.

Chiron cleared his throat loudly. The centaur did not want to interrupt them, but if what he suspected was right, the three of them needed to start the quest. ''Children, we need to focus on the prophecy.''

Percy nodded his head. ''What were the locations you thought about? And do you think that the part about 'Child of Hades' is...literal? That Lord Hades had another child?''

''Prophecies are never what they seem. The chance of there truly being a child of Hades is rather slim. As for your first question, the prophecy doesn't give us much clues about that. Only 'well know', 'West' and that there might be rich people there.'' Chiron looked at Athena's daughter. ''Annabeth worked on this with a map and searched places west to the camp which are popular among rich people. I don't think it's important to mention that she found many of those.''

Annabeth nodded her head. ''There were way too many choices, so I tried to find another clue.'' Her head tilted slightly to the right. ''After a while I came up with the idea that the place doesn't have to be 'well known' by the mortals, but by us.''

Everyone leaned over the table to look at the map that had magically appeared in the middle of it. Annabeth was already pointing at something with her pointer finger. ''Coincidences might exist, but they don't exist in our world.''

Percy could feel an invisible weight settling on his shoulders. He didn't know why, after all, the place itself wasn't the worst of all the ones he had thought of, but somehow he just knew that nothing pleasant was awaiting them.

 _The Lotus Hotel and Casino_

* * *

 _Our room was as expensive as all the ones we inhabited before. Large and spacious with a king sized bed in the middle. Curtains of fine material hid the large windows and there was even a sort of minibar in one corner.  
_

 _Near door stood a spacious wardrobe. Next to it a comfy looking white leather armchair. I would likely end up reading my books as I relaxed on it._

 _The room was perfect. Expensive. Equipped with the newest 'technology'._

This wasn't our home.

 _''If you find anything missing or not to your liking just call the staff. They will rearrange everything you want.'' Father pointed at the large telephone on the nightstand. ''No monsters will attack you here.''_

 _Nico muttered an reply under his breath. I wasn't really sure what he said, but I doubted it was any kind of denial. He did not blame any of us for the situation, thus he wouldn't be an ass about it._

 _Thank the Gods._

 _His brown bag landed on the huge bed and with sight he lowered himself upon it as well. To my right Bianca was already unpacking her own things and reserving the best places in the wardrobe for herself._

 _Dresses of various colors were hung neatly on hangers. Out of the two of us, Bianca was the proper lady._

 _Just two years ago we still shared our clothes. Not out of necessity, but because our size was the same and we liked each others wear._

 _Then her curves started showing and I was left behind in our development. It took two more years for anything to be visible on my body. Even then my curves were still not what they had been once upon a time._

 _This might have been due the fact that Bianca and I had inherited our mother's petite build. I reached the impressive height of exactly five feet and three inches._

 _Bianca not even an inch taller than I._

 _Nico, however, seemed to get taller with each day. My head barely reached his mouth._

 _It amused him more then anything else._

 _He even dared to laugh at me. And when I threatened to strangle him, he said, I would have to do it soon otherwise I wouldn't be able to reach his throat with my hands._

 _I had been very tempted to do just that._

 _''Why are you unpacking? We will not be here for_ that _long.''My twin's feet dangled off the bed while he held his upper body up with both of his arms._

 _Bianca turned her head to him. ''We will be here long enough.''_

 _Her answer was curt and indicated how mad she still was. I might not have fancied this whole idea, but Bianca wholeheartedly despised it._

 _From what I knew, we would be here for a month or two. Trapped in time while the whole world moved on. Eight decades would pass till we would be finally let out of our luxurious bird cage._

 _Eight decades seemed like a really long time to me._

 _To father they would be nothing but the blink of an eye._

 _I certainly wasn't the only one who envied him._

 _Indifferent and furious my siblings were. Still, it was their fear that threatened to drown them._

 _As used as I was to my father's silent presence, I was still somehow startled by his appearance before me. Neither did I notice Bianca coming to our side._

 _There weren't many people who called Hades affectionate. Truthfully, I wouldn't either. Nevertheless, there were those rare instances during which his eyes changed from steel to stone and his touch wasn't as uncommon as some might think._

 _Together, we were encircled by our father's arms. In the back of my mind I knew he could have crushed us to death._

 _He did not._

 _The hug wasn't long or especially physically warm._

 _Father's skin was colder than ice. Ours had a similar degree._

 _For a moment I felt as if everything would end up positively. As if no war was awaiting us in the future. As if one of my siblings wasn't fated to die._

 _Fleeting. That second of closure was fleeting, lasting only while father held us in his embrace._

 _His absence left me cold._

 _He moved to Nico and ruffled the boy's hair gently._

 _Father was gone before I could even think of saying something._

* * *

His mom was giving him _the_ look. The you-can't-be-serious-and-are-you-completely-out-of-your-mind-look.

Percy did not blame her. After all, what he asked of her wasn't what any mother wanted to hear. ''Mom, we really need to do this. And to do this we need a car.''

''I know, Percy.'' She sighted in defeat. ''I know. I'm just so worried about you. Besides, you don't even have a license.''

Percy's eyes softened and he smiled slightly. ''I'll be fine, mom. Nothing bad will happen. The prophecy does not sound _so_ bad.''

Ms. Jackson put a plate full of cookies on the table in front of him. If anyone wondered, they were blue. ''We both know that I can't stop you. Just..be careful.''

''We're always careful, Ms. Jackson.'' Said the satyr that was sitting besides him. Grover's hand was already reaching out for a second cookie. ''We'll be back in no time.''

Annabeth hummed in agreement.

Percy's mom turned her head to the left. Her eyes met the ones of Paul Blofis and she smiled slightly. ''Can they use your car?''

Paul's eyes, like always, softened the moment he looked at her. ''It's your choice, Sally.'' The man put his hand into his right jean pocket and fished out a car key. ''If you don't mind him going then they may as well use my car.''

''Thank you.'' Sally smiled softly and took the key out of his hand. Then she turned towards her son and gave him a stern look. ''Be careful, Percy.''

The Son of Poseidon grinned brightly. ''I will, mom.'' He took the small key and moved his gaze to the man at her side. ''Thanks, Paul.''

Not even an hour later the small group left the apartment. Las Vegas was waiting for their arrival.

* * *

 _I had already mentioned once what a curse our powers could be and I could only say it once again. No matter how useful those powers were, sometimes I wondered if we wouldn't have been better off without them. As children of Hades we experienced a kind of pain and sorrow not many could comprehend.  
_

 _I wished we did not have to. Tragedy always did strike the Children of the Dead the hardest._

 _''Nora?'' Bianca's voice sounded weak. It reminded me of the time when we were little children and she still feared thunder. ''Tell me you cannot feel this.''  
_

 _Thick tears streamed down both of our faces. I wouldn't lie to her, even though there was nothing I wished to do more. The choice to answer with another question was made easily. Just this once I did not want to be the responsible one. ''He's gone, isn't he?''_

 _My elder sister now sobbed openly. Her arms tighten around me as if I were the only thing that kept her floating in the middle of the sea._

 _Regrettably, I couldn't give her the reassurance she needed. There was no will to comfort my sister inside me.  
_

 _Just like her I had lost someone important. Maybe the grief wouldn't have hit me as hard if I hadn't literality felt him die. Or perhaps it was the grief and pain of my siblings that slowly mixed with mine._

 _My limbs hung uselessly at my side. I had no strength left to continue fighting. This one time my siblings would have to rely on themselves and hopefully they would find some strength in them to help me._

 _Now that there were only three of us left, we had only each other as a sort of comfort._

 _Father couldn't help us inside the hotel._

 _It was selfish of me to only think about us._

 _Especially because our brother was gone. Dead. Already being brought in front of the Judges of the Underworld._

 _I knew that no Elysium was awaiting Jerome Chavalier. He was too young for that. He still hadn't achieved anything in his life._

 _Or at least I thought so. I doubted he had aged a lot in the three hours we spend inside the hotel.  
_

 _He died while still being just a young child._

 _I really hated this world._

* * *

They drove for a whole day. The car windows constantly closed and music that repeated itself every few hours blaring out of the radio.

Grover sat behind the steering wheel for most of their journey. Among their small group he was the best driver. Besides both of his friends did not trust Percy's driving abilities on busy roads. Certain death, that's what they thought about him driving the car.

While their distrust in his abilities did nothing to raise his mood, Percy secretly preferred it when Grover took this responsibility. Paul had done enough for him by taking care of his mother; the Son of Poseidon did not want to destroy his stepfather's car.

''There is a motel a few miles away from here. We should stop there for the night.'' Annabeth, who sat at the front, pointed at a road shield.

Grover took a sip from his forth energy drink. ''Finally. I thought you would never suggest some rest.''

After changing the track, Grover steered the car onto a side road. A dozen of buildings and two suspicious looking people later, the small group arrived in front of a shabby motel. On the parking lot were only two other cars; an old silver Golf and an ancient red Mustang.

Paul's car was parked opposite the other ones. In the shade of a tree it was almost perfectly hidden from view.

Percy only hoped no one would try to steal it. The neighborhood did not look safe at all and he would rather not get into a fight with mortals.

''By the Gods, it feels as if I hadn't moved my legs for years.'' Grover stretched his arms above his head immediately after he exited the car. His bones cracked loudly.

Percy could only nod his head in agreement. He too stretched his body and proceeded to check if he still had all of his essentials. The pen in his pocket being the most important.

Many considered the habit of checking the pen's presence as paranoid. The son of Poseidon knew that it was literally impossible for him to lose that pen. However, its touch comforted him. That was why he always made sure it was still there.

''There was a grocery store on the way.'' Annabeth pointed down the street. ''We need food and a few other things. I think you should go, Grover.''

The daughter of Athena squinted her eyes and smiled a little sheepishly. ''I fear Percy and I might attract the wrong attention.''

The satyr nodded in acceptance. ''Maybe they will have some burritos.''

The daughter of Athena looked rather skeptical. Fortunately, she knew better than to comment. There was no time for an argument. They needed stock their reserves and some much needed rest.

Tomorrow they would have to continue driving. The Fates did not like to be kept waiting. Neither did prolonging a quest ever end pleasantly.

''Is all you need now in the backpack?'' Percy asked the blonde haired girl. A nod was the only answer he received. Turning to Grover, the boy spoke up once again. ''If you're not back in an hour, we'll come looking for you.''

''Thanks man.'' Grover tried to grin even though he felt as if he might fall asleep standing. ''I'll be back as soon as I can. The store wasn't far from here.''

And off the satyr went, leaving the two demigods standing at the parking lot. With their bags in hand and tired limbs the two teenagers moved to enter the motel.

A young clerk greeted them. His red hair a shade they had never seen before and the smile on his face almost blinding. ''Welcome, Miss and Mister.''

''Good evening, Mr. Donald.'' Looking at the name tag on his shirt, Annabeth smiled an overly polite smile. ''We need a room for three. Our friend will be arriving soon.''

The redhead nodded and stood up from his chair. His feet shuffled backwards and he turned to look for a key. It hung near a dozen of others on a hook at the wall. ''The night will cost ya 80 bucks. Y'all will have to leave in the morning.''

He walked back to the counter and handed the blonde haired girl the slightly rusty key. ''Ya can pay before ya leave.''

Percy picked up the bag he had previously let fall to the ground. ''Our friend's name is Grover. Please lead him to our room when he arrives here.''

''Sure thing.'' Mrs. Donald pointedly waved with his left hand, showing them he direction to their room and at the same time dismissing them.

The corridor was dark, only lightened by a flickering light bulb. Room number 034 was their next destination. In a faded green those numbers were painted at the fourth door they passed. Had Annabeth not been watching out for it, the duo would have spend the whole night searching for their abode.

As it was, the girl opened the door to their room with little trouble. She had to lean her body heavily against the wooden entry for it to move.

The two teenagers fell asleep before their bodies hit their beds.

* * *

 _Shame. It's such an ugly thing. Especially coming from my brother._

 _The feeling could be compared to me swallowing acid and it eating me from the inside. I wanted it to stop. To once again feel that gleeful happiness I normally associated with my twin.  
_

 _And as if such a highly concentrated shame wasn't enough, there was also a huge mix of disgust, self-loathing and fear inside of him._

 _At that very moment, I would have done anything to stop those feelings. Even gone against my own ethics and killed whoever dared to make Nico feel that way.  
_

 _Nico di Angelo deserved only the best. Not whatever he was experiencing._

 _My hand trembled as I put it upon his, our fingers immediately entangled. With pale skin coated by thin sheen of sweat my brother_ flinched.

 _He flinched from my touch. That had never happened before._

 _Only a few minutes ago everything had been alright. We had been laughing and playing a game of poker. Other people sat around us and enjoyed themselves just as much as we did._

 _As children of Hades, we had immense luck in games that involved winning money. Fun. Before we entered the hotel, I did not actually think fun would be involved in our time here. Our true childhood had been a short one. I couldn't remember the last time we behaved like normal fourteen years old._

 _It was Saturday night, the casino was full of people. Crowded wasn't strong enough to describe the atmosphere. No one seemed to mind._

 _Together we sat at a table and defeated anyone who was brave enough to play against us. A large pile of poker chips laid before us and I knew it would only get bigger as the evening progressed.  
_

 _We had just ordered some champagne to celebrate our winning_ — _There was no responsible adult here that could forbid us some alcohol. Besides, it was just one glass. I wouldn't allow Nico to get completely wasted. Especially because of all the experiences I had in the past._ — _and looked up when the sound of a new group entering the room hit our ears.  
_

 _There was a teenage boy among them. Light blonde hair and beautiful green eyes. He might not have been my type, but there was no denying him being handsome._

 _Apparently, Nico shared my opinion._

 _When my twin spotted the newcomer a surge of attraction and appreciation filled him. It caused me to turn my gaze on him._

 _Nico's world froze in place._

 _His eyes did not want to meet mine and the shame that I could feel through our bond left a bitter taste in my mouth._

 _It took me a while_ _—three seconds_ _—to realize what was going on. That realization made everything Nico felt more intense._

 _My twin brother was attracted to a boy. It wasn't a big deal for me, I always knew of his sexuality. But it was quite obvious that Nico didn't want me to know. That he felt ashamed for being different._

 _My twin was probably glad that Bianca wasn't here with us. He had not trusted us with his biggest secret, fearing rejection from his own family.  
_

 _Did I ever make him feel unwanted?_

 _I knew I had to say something, before he completely slipped away from me. My mouth opened and the words tumbled out before I could even think about what I was saying. ''He is quite attractive, isn't he?''_

 _Nico's head snapped in my direction and his mouth opened and closed again. He looked like a fish out of water. ''What?''_

 _''The boy. I admit, he's very handsome. I prefer the dark type, but he isn't bad either.'' I paused. ''You do not have to deny it. I feel what you feel.''_

 _Nico looked at the table, his eyes once again wouldn't meet mine. ''I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.''_

 _Was he apologizing? ''Why? Because you feel attracted to your own gender? There is nothing wrong with that, Nico.'' I reached out with my hand and forced him to look at me. ''I don't care about whom you are attracted to. You could have a preference for furies and I wouldn't mind it. It would weird but nothing will ever change the fact that you are my twin. Besides there are some girls that I have found quite pretty myself.''_

 _''Really?'' His eyes were wide._

 _''Really.'' I smiled. ''If you wish we can go talk with him together.''_

 _And there came the self disgust and self-loathing once again. Gods, I knew he wouldn't change his mind so easily. ''Come, Nico.''_

 _I stood up and wrapped my hand around his wrist. Then I proceeded to drag him out of the room, our previous winnings laying completely forgotten at the table. Some players were eyeing them with interest, but before one of them could even try to take the chips a worker already started packing them for us._

 _No one payed us any attention while we maneuvered through the crowded room, the magic of the casino completely clouding their judgment. At a few places we had to practically fight our way out so that we could pass. Minutes later we managed to arrive at the entrance doors._

 _Outside of the room I found a place where we could talk undisturbed. It just so happened to be a dark corner. Nico would feel safe there, surrounded by the darkest of shadows. ''Sit.''_

 _He listened. Had it been any other situation this would have caused me to laugh. ''What do you want, Nora?''_

 _I crouched down in front of him and took his face into both of my hands. Our eyes met and I smiled slightly. ''You know, there is nothing to be ashamed of. None of us will judge you.''_

 _His right hand touched mine. ''But what about papa...''_

 _''Papa?'' I giggled slightly. ''Do you truly believe that papa has taken only female lovers through the millennia? I am sure he enjoyed his male lovers just like he enjoyed his female ones.''_

 _For a moment he looked at me as if I had told him that the sky was green and pigs could fly. ''You think?''_

 _''It wont matter to papa and neither will Bianca care. As long as you are happy nothing else matters.'' I kissed his forehead and pulled him against me._

 _Against all reason, I expected him to flinch once again._

 _His arms lightly returned my hug._

 _I knew this wasn't the end of this whole theme._

* * *

Percy managed to stop Paul's car before it collided with the two hellhounds standing in their way. He considered himself lucky because of that.

It swerved slightly on the wet road and came too a stop a few feet away from the overgrown dogs.

The small group had decided to take a shortcut through some deserted side street. At that time it had seemed like a good idea. The faster they arrived at their destination, the sooner the quest would be finished.

A demigods life was never _that_ easy.

While he and Annabeth got out of the car, Grover sat down behind the steering wheel and started to drive the car to a safer location. They still needed it to get to Las Vegas.

There was no hesitation in the monsters' attacks. Their large jaws snapping at them in a dangerous dance. Had they been mortal and without their battle reflexes, then those jaws would have been their deaths.

As it was, Percy and Annabeth moved fluidly out of their way. His sword and her knife gleamed dangerously in the moon light.

As hellhound number one—Yes, he named them.—jumped in Percy's direction, the boy managed to roll out of its way and slice at the hound's stomach.

It wasn't deadly, but still managed to slow the monster down.

Percy truly couldn't believe his luck when he felt the first drop of rain hit his cheek. Soon that small drop changed into pouring rain.

It's left unsaid that the hellhounds did not stand a chance.

Soon the group continued their travel to Las Vegas.

* * *

 _I had no idea how it happen. What lead to it._

 _One second Nico and I were sitting on the bed in our room, talking comfortably about what we should do next. And then, so suddenly that I could have never expected it, he was leaning forward. The world around me started to spin slower, only to stop doing it completely soon after. His face stopped inches in front of mine as if realizing that it shouldn't be there in the first place._

 _Identical eyes met. Our breaths mingled with each other. A desire that should have never been there filled us._

 _I didn't know who moved first. Who crossed a line that should have never been crossed._

 _Our lips connected in a chaste kiss. Inexperienced and clumsy we were and so was the kiss as well. Innocently, like a curious child exploring a field of wild flowers for the first time, our lips moved against each other._

 _But I knew that there was nothing innocent about that act. It was wrong, so very wrong. I knew that this shouldn't have ever happened. I should have never let this happen._

 _That did not stop me from moving forward once again, connecting my lips with those of my twin brother._

* * *

The place hadn't changed the least since they had been last there. But the sense of foreboding Percy felt the moment he exited the car hadn't been there the last time.

''Do we stay together or separate?'' He asked, his gaze turned in Annabeth's direction.

Grey eyes narrowed. ''We don't know what we're searching for. It's better for us to stay together.'' Her lips quirked upwards. ''Don't eat anything in there, Grover.''

''I'm not stupid, you know. I have learned my lesson after what happened the last time.'' The satyr whined.

Percy shook his head in amusement. He could only hope that his best friend would heed the warning. ''We should go inside. The faster we do it, the sooner everything will be over.''

They entered The Lotus Hotel and Casino.

* * *

 _I had been waiting in the foyer when it happened. Nico and Bianca said they would meet me there later, thus I diligently waited for them._

 _Searching for them in the large casino was not an option. Our connection might have pointed me in their general direction but that was all. I would know in which room they were but not which of the thirty tables they occupied._

 _More than a week I could spend searching for them in this large building and still find no trace of my siblings._

 _I preferred waiting. At least meeting up with them was certain this way._

 _My gaze moved over the heads of countless of people. They were of different ethnicity. Some obviously American, others from different parts of the world. Asian, African and European._

 _I could recognize some of the languages they spoke. There was even someone from Russia._

 _How long has it been since I last heard someone speak Russian?_

 _Not long enough for me to forget the whole language. There were words I had forgotten the meaning of, but I generally knew what the blonde couple was speaking of._

 _However, my attention soon strayed from them and turned to the glassy entrance._

 _The Lotus Flower induced haze cleared for a moment and I saw the outside world for the first time in what felt like only two months. A young girl in short—very short— shorts was jogging down the street. She had a pair of headphones on her head and what looked like an Mp3 player in her hand._

 _Dizziness hit me and I stumbled a little._ How much time had actually passed?

 _My breath quickened and I had to lean on the wall to stop myself from falling._

 _''Are you alright, Lady Nora?'' A male employee asked me. He had a tray of Lotus Flowers in his left hand. ''A Lotus Flower, perhaps?''_

 _Without needing to be asked twice, my hand reached out for the magical treat._

 _A bite and the familiar ecstasy returned._

 _The last thing I saw before the intoxication set in was a group of three teens entering the casino. A blonde girl and a dark haired boy. Their was hidden behind their bodies.  
_

 _Poor lads. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into._


	13. The Turning Point

**Before we come to the chapter, there is something I just need to mention.**

 **I understand that many find the idea of incest to be disgusting and quite honestly, I do not condone it in real life. But some of the things you have left in the reviews are just low blows.**

 **I have deleted some of the reviews I disliked the most, but also left one or two to show people what one just shouldn't do.**

 **Leaving constructive reviews is a good thing, but writing one just for the sake of showing your dislike is just stupid. Writing two reviews to show your dislike for the same thing leaves me at a loss for words.**

 **Meister Fallon, you do realize that the PJO series is actually full of sugarcoated incest that had been tempered with to make it kid friendly, don't you? I realize that it's a theme that might make some people uncomfortable, but I did leave a warning at the beginning of the story. And you leaving me this review, just shows all of us how much respect you have for fanfiction authors. You couldn't even take some of your time to read my first author's note where I explicitly warned that there would be some incest in the future chapters.**

 **Because of that you wasted however long it took you to read twelve chapters and then found nothing better to do but leave such senseless reviews.**

 **Congratulations for your own stupidity. Well done.**

 **Another thing that bothered me about your review was that sentence:**

 _ **''**_ _ **This is probably one of the most craziest self inserts I've seen in awhile, which is saying something considering Solangelo is becoming more common than straightNico ships. You know, since it's canon. ''**_

 **I'm not sure if I'm interpreting too much into it(If I am, then I'm truly sorry.), but are you homophobic or something? I have a good friend who is homosexual, so I can only tell you that such a dislike is not cool.**

 **Anyway, thanks for discouraging me from writing for such a long time. Do note the sarcasm.**

 **Oh, and if you haven't noticed, those thanks were to all the people who thought it would be funny to leave me hateful reviews.**

 **sasuhina542000**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. Self-Insert  
**

 **Have fun.**

* * *

 _Chapter 13_

 _The Turning Point_

* * *

 _"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."_  
 _― Dr. Seuss_

* * *

 _Perseus Jackson._

I always imagined that our first meeting would be something worth going down in history. Something that the future generations would talk about as if it were a myth. I thought that maybe just for a second the world would stop turning, only to continue spinning thrice as fast.

When I thought about our first meeting, the thing that came to my mind was a battlefield. I did not know if we would be fighting side by side or against each other, but thought the latter one to be more fitting.

Imagine that, we, the children of the Big Three, colliding in battle. The powers of the Sea and the Dead pushing against each other, neither wanting to give in.

Then, when all suddenly seemed to be lost, my two siblings would swoop in and together we would bring honor to our father.

Or something along those lines.

Actually, I could have even imagined us meeting in camp for the first time. We would have only been there because of the Fates and their often times cruel jokes, but our meeting would have still been more significant than it actually was.

Long story short, I bumped into Perseus Jackson and did not even realize who he was.

I literarily mumbled an apology and then proceeded to shove the blonde girl behind him out of my way. Before they completely disappeared out of my sight, I heard the girl say something about 'rude people and their impossible behavior'.

I felt insulted. Manners were the one thing mother always insisted on. If I hadn't caught sight of my brother, I might have even turned around to show her my middle finger. Not the most lady-like thing to do, but it would have certainly made me feel better.

As it was, I just joined my siblings on the way to dinner.

''Where have you been, Nora? We searched almost everywhere for you.'' Nico asked when I finally reached them. His gaze was turned from me towards the entrance of the dinning room. The smell of chicken and pizza was heavy in the air. ''Besides, we told you to wait for us at the reception.''

Rolling my eyes slightly, I smiled at my brother's silliness. ''And I did wait, promise. But you took just _so_ long. I got bored and decided to start looking for you.''

''Yes, of course. It's all our fault. How could we have let you wait so long, Princess Nora?'' He mock bowed to underline his sarcastic statement.

Harder than necessary, I patted his shoulder. ''You're forgive, my loyal servant.''

We would have probably continued for the next few hours, if Bianca hadn't interfered. She slapped the back of our heads and showed with her right hand towards the dinning room. ''As much as I enjoy your bickering, I would enjoy eating dinner even more.''

Straightening up, I nodded my head in agreement. ''My apologies, Queen Bianca.''

''Yes, I hope you will accept our deepest apologies, Queen Bianca.'' Nico bowed once again, sending our older sister a mocking grin.

By the Gods, I loved my siblings.

''Aye, aye. Thy Queen did not expect any other behavior from commoners such as yourself. All is forgiven as long as we start moving towards our dinner soon.'' Amused and irritated at the same time, Bianca gave us a stern look and moved gracefully past us.

Laughing loudly, I followed my sister's steps. She guided us through the tight crowd, elbowing a few people aside on the way. Not many actually still cared about anything but their addictive games and food.

Unfortunately, even we could not resist the Lotus charm completely.

The dinning room was just as crowded as the rest of the hotel. It was very large with a high ceiling. Half of it was filled with tables where the guest could eat at, the other half held a large buffet.

Obviously, we walked towards the part with the food.

''Here.'' I said, holding a plate in Bianca's direction after picking it up from a table to my right. Her left hand reached out for it and gently took the plate from my own. Subsequently I gave Nico one as well and received a 'thanks' in return.

My gaze wandered around the room. There were many different containers, made of metal, glass or plastic, on about a dozen of tables. Staying together while gathering the food would make no sense. ''How about we meet here in fifteen minutes?''

Nico grunted and opened a container to our right. Inside were some baked potatoes. One of them landed on his plate.

Rolling her eyes at our brother's rude behavior, Bianca nodded her head in agreement. ''Sure.''

And just like that, we went our separate ways. I moved towards the waffle section, while my siblings stayed near the hearty food.

My choice of the day was a fresh and warm Belgian waffle with strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. At the top I put a large portion of whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

I really did know the meaning of the word 'healthy'.

Before going to our meeting place, I got a glass of juice for myself. It was some kind of mix of pineapple and peach. Never knew a juice like that existed.

Going back to my siblings took me longer than I expected. There was some special fondue event today, so many people gathered near one of the tables. Few let me through by just asking, thus I had to push many of them aside. Once I almost lost hold of my plate which would have ended with my clothes being dirtied and me looking like a pig.

''Do you actually know the meaning of 'being punctual', Nora?'' Nico was the only one waiting for me at our meeting place. He was leaning his body against a table and looking at me with slightly narrowed eyes. ''Bianca is already sitting at our table.''

Smiling apologetically, I nudged his hip with my own. ''Come, come, brother. If we don't join Bianca soon, she might end up eating your dinner.''

Nico shook his head. ''And whose fault would that be?''

''Oh?'' I drawled, not at all bothered by his accusation. ''Shall we go now or do you wish to stay here for a little longer?''

Together we waited till a small group of people got past us. Then Nico grabbed my hand and tugged me towards the sitting area. Maneuvering through the crowd was easier for him because of his height. He did not have to watch out for people who could easily trample him. There just weren't that many of those here.

Me on the other hand, well, that was a whole other story.

Upon reaching the section with the tables we started to look out for Bianca's familiar form. Although I expected to be on the lookout for more than ten minutes, we ended up finding our sister after a few seconds.

She was sitting at a nearby table right next to a large window. From what I could see, half of the food from her plate was already gone and the rest would certainly follow soon. On her right stood what I presumed to be my twin's plate, untouched.

Luck seemed to be on his side today.

Approaching the table slowly, I made sure Bianca knew of our presence. She could most likely feel us at such a close proximity, but there was always the chance of the large crowd hindering our abilities. Startling our sister wouldn't end good.

''You know, the polite thing to do would have been to wait for us before starting to eat your dinner.'' I remarked, knowing that such a statement would irritate my sister.

I did not receive the predicted reaction. Instead of giving me a snide comment or berating me for my lateness, Bianca chose to answer calmly with an even voice. ''I forgot something in our room and have to get it before we go to the casino this evening. Besides I wanted to take a shower earlier but didn't find the right time, so I might as well do it now.''

Absently I flexed my fingers and sat down on the chair opposite my sister. ''I guess that's a good enough reason.''

''But do stay in the room.'' Smirking slightly, Nico lowered himself onto his chair. ''I don't wont a repeat of our earlier situation.''

Finishing her last piece of chicken, Bianca pushed her plate aside and pulled a bowl of pudding from the middle of the table in front of herself. '' _Sì, sì, fratellino.''_

There is one thing I need to mention at this very moment. The Belgian waffle was _heavenly._ The fruits on it sweet and luscious and the chocolate sauce fit perfectly.

I could have probably told you way more about my food if it weren't for my sibling's laughter catching my attention. ''What?''

They did not stop laughing at me, however, Bianca did managed to answer my question. Surprisingly, or maybe not so much, happiness and mirth danced in both of their eyes. ''It's astounding how such small things can make you _so happy.''_

''Happy?'' Bewildered, that's how I felt.

''Yes, happy.'' Taking a sip from his glass, Nico smiled. ''I think you sometimes forget that we feel what you feel. And out of the three of us, you're the easiest to make happy.''

The easiest to make happy, huh? Perhaps they were right. Perhaps it was easy to make me happy. ''That's probably the only reason for why you keep me around. To leech off my happiness.''

Bianca giggled softly. ''Why else would anyone want you, _sorellina?''_

''You wound me, sister.'' Putting a hand to my heart, I let out a melodramatic sight. ''How can you say something like that?''

Instead of answering, she put a spoonful of chocolate pudding into her mouth. I could literarily feel the love.

Hearing the call of my waffle, I continued eating it slowly, so that I could enjoy it to the fullest. I really did not get why some people stuffed all their food into their mouths and ate it without really knowing the taste.

I bit down on a rather sour blueberry and looked up at my sister who had just stood up from her chair. She had a small content smile on her face that let me know that I had done something right.

I had nothing against sharing my happiness with my siblings.

''I think I'll go now. Do try to eat a little faster, Nora, or we will miss today's event.'' With 'event' she meant some kind of special show that was taking place in the casino in a few hours. I had no idea about what was awaiting us, however, I was curious and a bit cautious. Rarely did surprises end good for us.

Waving goodbye with my left hand, I stuffed another piece of the sweet goddess into my mouth. ''We'll be there in twenty.''

''So an hour then?'' Bianca joked, but somehow it didn't really sound like that much of a joke. I wasn't really that bad, was I?

My dearest older sister did not wait for an answer, only turned around and started walking out of the dinning hall and towards our room. Bianca's hair, that was longer than mine and reached about mid-back, moved with her.

Turning towards my brother with a deadpan expression, I asked, ''What is it today? The All Against Nora Day?'' Seeing the wide grin on his face, I stopped him from answering by putting a hand onto his mouth. ''You know what? Don't answer that.''

Yeah, it certainly was.

* * *

They had lost the girl. The one that had bumped into him just seconds ago.

Her petite body had collided with his own and had surprisingly send him tumbling slightly backwards. Percy did not expect to be actually pushed back by a girl that was more than a head smaller than him.

But she did and thus he was left surprised and slightly miffed after he watched her push Annabeth carelessly out of her way and continue without uttering an apology to the Daughter of Athena.

The dark haired girl disappeared in the crowd just as Grover noticed that there was something different about her. That she wasn't fully mortal. ''She's a demigod.'' Eyes widening, he shouted. ''Stop her!''

By the time those words left his friend's lips, the girl was long gone. And even for a satyr it wouldn't have been an easy task to find one of his kind in such a crowd.

''Rude. That's what she is as well.'' Annabeth muttered under her breath, the irritation at the stranger's behavior and their own carelessness more than evident in her voice.

The Son of Poseidon rubbed his head, his eyes had dark circles under them because of their long travel and the accompanying stress. ''She can't have gotten that far. Let's just look in that direction. Don't forget, we stay together.''

And so they started walking in the girl's general direction. As it turned out, that choice hadn't been their wisest idea. The small group came upon a crossroad not even five minutes later.

Left our right, that was the question.

''We should go right. That's where the dinning hall is. If she went to her room, we wont find her anyway. In this direction we have a realistic chance.'' Annabeth pointed out and used her hand to show them the right direction.

There was nothing wrong with the plan—Even if it wasn't that much of a plan to begin with.—so Percy decided that it would be wise to follow her suggestion. ''Sure.''

Later he would come to wish they gone left. It might have changed the outcome of their whole mission.


	14. The Turning Point Pt II

**I'm so very sorry for the long wait. It's been a few months since I last updated and I hope this chapter will make up for the long wait.**

 **I have published a new TVD Self-Insert fanfiction. If you're a fan of that fandom, then you should try reading 'The Hanging Tree'.**

 **Please leave a review.**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert]**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _Chapter 14_

 _The Turning Point Pt. II_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Where She Witnessed The Repercussions  
_

* * *

 _"The monstrous act by definition demands a monster."_  
 _― Rick Yancey_

 _"And we all know love is a glass which makes even a monster appear fascinating." ― Alberto Moravia,The Woman of Rome_

* * *

We shouldn't have let her leave by herself.

We should have known that something like this would happen. We might not have been any children of Apollo or some kind of Oracle, but we still should have known that something like this would happen. That someone would use the moment we were apart from each other to attack.

Or perhaps I was just blaming myself for something I had no control over.

Just like I mentioned before, I could not exactly predict the future. I might have known about a possible future. A future of a universe _I did not exist in._

My existence alone had changed _everything,_ making it impossible for me to actually predict anything.

For all I knew my existence alone could have caused a ripple that would destroy this whole world. Maybe the love our father now held for us caused something it shouldn't have. Maybe father's anger at Zeus' daring actions led to the death of an important ancestor.

Someone like the grandfather of Percy Jackson.

What if the Chosen One didn't even exist in this universe because I was born? What if he wasn't the Chosen One anymore? What if one of my siblings or even I myself took that place from him?

There were so many possibilities I had thought of through the years. This whole endeavor was _maddening._

But ultimately it came down to one thing.

While my presence in this world has changed everything, it has also ultimately changed nothing. I wasn't stupid or naive enough to believe that I could have stopped World War II from happening, however, I should have been able to save our mother.

Maria di Angelo should have never died in this world. Neither should we have ever entered this cursed hotel.

Bianca and Nico di Angelo should have had the possibility to be normal children. They should have grown old in the 20th century and died before it ended.

Jerome Chavalier should not have died at such a tender age.

I should have, no, _could have_ stopped it all. But I did not.

 _I had failed them all._

And there wasn't even a real excuse for my inaction. The only thing I could say about my ineptitude would make me look like a bigger fool than I already was.

 _I had failed my whole family because of one emotion; Fear._

I had feared that if I changed something, the future would end up being worse than it was already meant to be.

What if by saving mother I would condemn Nico to an early death? What if by stopping us from entering the hotel I would sentence us to a future even worse than our current one?

 _What if, what if, what if, what if._

There were so many 'what ifs' going through my mind that I never even considered the chance of success. I decided prematurely that it would be better for me to do nothing than to destroy everything.

And by doing that I might just end up paying the highest price of all.

 _The life of a sibling._

 _The life of my older sister._

I should have expected this. Nothing good lasts forever and the time I had spend with my family in this world was too good for someone like me.

Quite frankly, I knew that I did not deserve this second chance. That I had done nothing to warrant it in my first life and did not live up to this gift's honor during my second one.

Still, I did not expect this to happen. I did not expect that someone would actually manage, no, dare to attack us inside the Lotus Hotel. The Lotus Eaters normally kept any conflict at bay and also ensured their customers safety. No one with any intent to harm us should have managed to do so.

And yet, I could still feel the throbbing pain at the back of my head and the unusual silence left in the wake of _Bianca's_ unconscious state.

We could _always_ feel each other. Even during our sleep we could feel the emotions that accompanied each others dreams.

Besides her presence and the throbbing pain at the back of my head, I could feel nothing through the bond I shared with my sister. _Nothing._

That scared me more than anything else because while my sister was still alive, her assailant was probably at her side and he or she could do whatever they wanted to Bianca. I wasn't there to protect her and that just might end up being the reason for her death.

I doubted she slipped inside our shower or that the assailant just wanted to say 'hello' to us.

A chair scrapped loudly across the floor and my gaze instantly flittered towards my brother's figure. I wasn't the only one feeling an all consuming panic and fear. Nico did as well. He knew just as I did that today we might very well lose our sister.

Face pale and eyes wide, Nico clenched his jaw tightly. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he swallowed visibly. Slowly, my brother opened his left fist, grabbed the steak knife he had previously used to eat his dinner from the table and expertly hid it inside his sleeve.

For a moment I was actually relieved and able to appreciate his foresight. There was no need for us to reveal our true identity to our new _acquaintances_ by using the weapons father had gifted to us, weapons that could only be touched by the Children of the Underworld.

I did not think for even a second that they would misinterpret the weapons origins and meaning. Not when one of them just so happened to be a daughter of Athena.

 _Annabeth Chase._

She came to our table, while we were still so obliviously eating our dinner, and without any hesitation introduced herself and the two boys following behind her to us.

 _Perseus Jackson and Grover Underwood_

I had literarily walked into Percy fucking Jackson and not recognized him. And as if that wasn't enough I had managed to make a bad first impression on him and his two best friends, one of them his maybe girlfriend.

Wasn't that just great?

Fortunately, I had managed to ignore the part of me that screamed 'flight or fight' and had gently inquired what they wanted from us.

It seemed as if they took my question for an invitation because soon the three of them were sitting with us at the table.

Our conversation didn't go far beyond the introductions. Percy Jackson had just informed us that there were many things his small group had to tell and explain to us when we so suddenly felt Bianca _panic._ And it wasn't the 'I can't find my keys' kind of panic, more like the 'I just opened a door, only to find a man murdering his wive and now having to get rid of the only witness' kind of emotion that she was feeling.

It lasted for a second and was then replaced by head-splitting ache at the back of my skull. Afterwards Bianca was just _gone._ An almost completely silent presence at the back of my mind.

We were never this silent. Always there. Always screaming our emotions at each other.

And I had never felt as afraid as I felt at that very moment. An emptiness I never knew could exist filled my body where the myriad of emotions my sister felt normally were.

That's not to say that Bianca was completely gone. She was still there, albeit too weak to transfer anything else to us but that painful headache.

She was there, but we did not know how long it would stay that way if we did not find her soon.

''Wait! Where are you going?'' The dark haired intruder, Perseus Jackson, shouted after my brother who was already halfway across the room.

Nico only stopped for a second to send me a look and inform me of a plan that was doomed to fail epically in Italian. _''I'll go from the back, you take them from the front.''_

He was gone in the crowd before I could formulate an answer and without a pause I turned my head to the unwelcome strangers. Even though I knew their names and that they probably did not mean us any harm, it still did not change the fact that they were indeed _strangers._

''We have to go. If you wish, you may come with us.'' I was up from my seat and moving, not waiting to hear what had to say. If my theory was right, they would follow us no matter what.

There could be only two reason for them being here in this hotel. Either a prophecy or someone had send them to get us. Neither sounded all too great.

Especially because I doubted that our father would send a bunch of kids to get us.

I did not fail to grab a knife from a neighboring table on our way out of the room. My left hand closed around it with a steel grip. The group of demigods behind me regarded me with caution.

I could only hope that this small action would not scare them away. It was doubtful that they had something to do with whatever happened to Bianca. The knowledge I possessed made me aware of that and the fact that they could help us with whoever dared to attack my sister.

We di Angelo siblings were many things, but not stupid. Someone had managed to knock out Bianca. Was he just lucky enough or perhaps that strong? We couldn't tell, thus it would be better for us to have some backup.

In the worst case scenario we could leave them to be fed to the wolves and save ourselves.

When had I started to think like this? When did start seeing people as necessary sacrifices?

Leaving the dinning room was easier said than done. There were so many people there during dinner time that I had to push more than half a dozen out of my way.

Normally, I would have never pushed anyone so carelessly out of my way, whether it was an adult or a _child._ But that moment of uncertainty, of not knowing if my sister was safe, made me into something I would later come to hate.

Almost blindly, only focusing on the _feel_ of Bianca and where she was, I ran out of the large hall like room into a maze of corridors. The footsteps of three previously fictional character followed my wake.

Any other time, I might have stopped to think about the fact that the Percy Jackson was running after me and shouting for me to stop and wait.

I did not care. My older sister was in danger and twin might soon be as well.

Running and running, I continued following Bianca's faint trail. Nico took the so called longer way, creating a long enough distance between himself and our new acquaintance to be able to safely shadow travel.

They did not need to see us using our powers. They did not need to know about our father.

The farther from the dinning room I was, the less people surrounded me. The crowd thinning so much that I was soon alone in a hallway leading to countless of rooms. People rarely came here, too addicted to all the hotel and casino had to offer to even think about sleeping and spending some time alone in their room.

Those few that did venture here immediately entered their room.

There were also the Lotus Eaters, but they only came every few days to clean up the rooms and never bothered any of the guests.

The building was parted into two sections, the hotel where people ate and slept and the casino. Most people preferred to stay in the casino, thus the first section was always relatively empty compared to the second one.

This worked to my advantage; I could not imagine how it would have been to navigate through this maze if there had been a crowd as large as in the dinning room here.

Left, right, left, left and right again.

From what I guessed, Bianca and her assailant were still near our room, moving slowly in my direction. Whoever had attacked probably wanted to get her out of the hotel.

The person obviously wasn't strong enough to carry her, so it had to be someone young or a slightly built girl.

It turned out to be a boy maybe a year younger than Nico and I were. Short dishwater blonde hair adorned his head and he had a pair of stormy gray eyes that seemed to darken with each second he did not manage to lift the motionless body before him. The boy actually looked to be about my height and there seemed to be almost no muscle to his body.

His arms thin as sticks and cheeks slightly gaunt.

Dark rings decorated the space under his eyes.

He looked up, startled, once he heard our footsteps and we immediately froze in place. The group of practically strangers only about two feet behind me.

I watched with a twisted satisfaction how the young boy's eyes widened in fright and forced my gaze not to stray from him to my sister. Father had early on taught us to never lose sight of our enemy.

''Aidan?'' A chocked female whisper.

How did Annabeth Chase know this boy? Was he there with them? Perhaps they were all send there to capture my siblings and me?

Almost unconsciously, I took a few steps forward, putting a small distance between myself and those who might have been send here to harm us Children of Hades.

That was a mistake I should not have made. Belying his appearance, the boy's hand moved with a speed no normal mortal could achieve, took a small knife from somewhere on his body and pressed it to my sister's throat. Horror stricken, I could do nothing but watch.

''None of you move or the girl will end up dead!'' The blond child shouted, his whole body shaking with panic and what I thought to be anger. It was then that I remembered where I had seen eyes similar to his own before.

 _Annabeth._

Now that I thought about it, the eyes weren't the only thing they shared. They had also very similar noses and cheekbones.

He must have been a Child of Athena then. Shouldn't such a child have known better than to attack one of us? To attack a Child of Hades?

Not only because of the rumor about what happened to all those who dared to harm a Child of Hades after their death―Father might have not loved or cared about many of his children, but he still hated everyone who dared to harm them. _―_ but also because of the rumors about the supposed insanity those children bear. There were so many prejudices about father's children that it wasn't even funny anymore. The only positive aspect to them was that they kept many people, demigods and satyrs and so on, from actually even thinking about attacking us.

Could it be that he did not know who we were?

Perhaps.

Not knowing, not informing himself about who he was attacking, would end up being the last mistake the _child_ ever made.

There weren't many things in this world that I wouldn't do for my siblings, but there were certain lines I wouldn't cross till there truly wasn't any other way out.

That did not apply to my twin.

Later, I would not be able to find words strong enough to describe what I felt the moment _it_ happened, however, I would remember the event more vividly than anything else.

From the corner of my right eye I saw Percy raising both of his hands in a placating manner, his mouth opening to say something that would be forever be lost to the world.

A cry filled the air and I watched with horror filled eyes how Nico suddenly appeared only a few feet behind the boy. My twin moved faster than I had ever seen him moving before.

The knife was pressed harsher against Bianca's throat; I could feel its sting and saw a trail of crimson blood flow from her throat down her modest cleavage and stain the dark red dress she wore.

He was behind the _child_ within less than a second. The steak knife he had taken from the dinning roomed gleamed in the hallways dim light.

Without hesitation, without even the slightest tremble, my brother's hand moved towards the boy's throat.

 _Blood. There was so much blood._

The crimson liquid squirted out of the crudely torn throat. It stained the floor, the walls and my sister.

For a numb moment I wondered how she would get all that blood out of her hair.

Another cry came from somewhere to my right.

Unbidden, my eyes had followed the boy's slow descent to the ground. His hand had long since lost its grip on the knife, having luckily only cut a shallow line on my sister's skin.

The boy's, no, Aiden's eyes were wide, bulging even and looking at something a few ways away from me.

He was looking at his _sister._

Left hand pressed to his throat, unsuccessfully trying to stop all the blood from leaving his body. Lips opened and formed words no one managed to hear.

Stormy gray eyes were pleading for help.

 _He was just a child._

Blood dripped from his mouth and his body twitched periodically.

How could someone so small have _so_ much blood in his body. The crimson liquid seemed to be everywhere where my eyes went, slowly spreading in a need to reach even me.

 _By the gods._

This just couldn't be happening. No, this just couldn't be happening.

 _FuckFuckFuckFuckFuckFu c_k _ **F uCK**_

Nico―my twin brother, the boy with whom I had grown up, the boy at whose side I had slept at night, someone I loved―had _just killed someone in cold blood._

 _He had killed a child._

Oh my fucking hell. No, no, no, no.

I was trembling, my whole body was trembling. Palms sweaty and skin probably as pale as a sheet.

The knife fell out of my hand.

I felt like throwing up.

Aiden―Oh my gods―he was making gurgling sounds, blood flowing like a waterfall out of his crudely torn throat and being spit in droplets out of his mouth. The bags under his eyes more profound than before, contrasting heavily with his by the second paler getting skin. Thin beads of sweat gathered on his forehead and I heard more cries and shrieks and shouts from my side.

Somewhere in my shocked mind I noticed Percy stopping Annabeth from running to her baby brother's aid. She was crying and kicking widely around herself.

Hoping to blend everything out, my gaze focused on the boy's, on my brother's _victim's_ face. To be more precise, his eyes.

His dark gray orbs that seemed to have lightened since the last time I had gazed upon them. They were shining with a fear that made him seem even more like the child that he actually was.

 _No, please no._

I shouldn't have looked. I should have ran away, away from him, my sibling and the world.

Not doing so would end up being one of the biggest mistakes I would ever make.

With an emotion I couldn't name―a mix of horror, shock, guilt and pain―I watched how the light slowly faded out of his eyes. How they glazed with the dimness of death and the life disappeared out of them.

 _I felt him die._

One after another tears spilled down my cheeks. My shoulders trembled more and more and I would have fallen to my knees had the gleaming knife in my brother's hand not caught my attention.

 _Dip, dip, dip._

That's how the droplets of blood falling slowly from the knife sounded like. My gaze trailed along the blade and up the blood stained hand and arm of my twin. His clothes looked us if he had washed them in blood.

Inspection stopping before my eyes could reach his face, I raised my hand to rub some sweat away from my forehead.

I had to force myself, for the first time in this life I had to literarily force myself to meet Nico's gaze.

 _I flinched._

Madness. Pure madness and pleasure. His eyes as dark as those of our father and wide with glee. I could feel his emotions trying to suffocate me.

There was no guilt, no disgust. No, he felt pleased. Euphoric even.

Pleased at what I had no idea. I only hoped or perhaps tried to delude myself that he did not feel any pleasure from killing but from being able to save our sister.

Some blood was smeared on his pale cheek and I witnessed how a small grin spread on his lips.

 _Oh god._

Disgusted filled me and once again I felt like throwing up. But there was one emotion in me that was even stronger than the disgust and horror I felt; _Guilt._

That boy had died because of _me._ Had I not been born in this universe, then Nico would have never been here on this day, capable of killing a child. Had I not been born, then my siblings would have never ended up being like they were. It was father's influence that made them so ruthless and ignorant to the importance of life.

My existence had made Nico di Angelo into a _killer._

I doubted Bianca would feel any more guilt about Aiden's death than Nico did.

 _I had created two monsters._

Instead of being a good influence for them, I completely ignored all their flaws till it was too late to change anything and now I had to deal with the consequences.

 _A child was dead because of me._

''Nora.'' His voice, my twin's voice, a killers voice.

For a second I did not react. Then, slowly, ever so slowly, my feet started moving in my sibling's direction.

 _I couldn't bring myself to look at my twin again._

Bianca was still unconscious, completely unaware of the gruesome scene surrounding her. I fell to my knees harshly, feeling the impact rattle my bones and not caring about the fact that I had just bruised my skin.

What I did care about was the feeling of my cream colored dress being drenched by blood. The liquid felt wet and sticky against my skin and soon my hands were covered in it as well.

I touched Bianca's throat, searching for a pulse I knew was there. Afterwards I proceeded to search her head for a wound. Just where I had felt the pain on my own skull, I found a bleeding wound. The blood was fortunately already clogging, which meant that she at least wouldn't bleed out.

Just like the child that had dared to assault her.

''I'll carry her to our room, you just open the door, Nora.'' It was spoken like an order and I would have normally at least scowled if he used such a tone with me, but none of this was normal.

I rose to my feet and did exactly what he said.

Nico picked our sister up from the ground and laid her down onto our bed.

After making sure that I had not ran away or something he gave me one last order of feeding our sister ambrosia and then proceeded to make his way to the bathroom.

 _How could have everything gone so wrong?_


	15. Heart Of Courage

**Here is chapter fifteen! I can't believe that this story has almost 50k words. I have to admit that I had actually thought that I would give up on it way faster.**

 **Anyway, in this chapter there are two important changes concerning Nora as well as a fighting scene at the end. I'm not all that good in writing action scenes, so, umh, sorry? Also, there is still some angst in this chapter, but Nora is slowly starting to escape her self-pitying and fear.**

 **There is just one thing I would like to say. Many of you said in their reviews that Nora should not mind what Nico had done and that it was justified. She knows that it needed to be done to save her sister, however, she also believes that Nico could have done something less 'drastic'. Her biggest problem, however, is the fact that Nico _enjoyed_ killing another human being. Nora is gentle and lives by the morals of her old life and although that will change in the future, she still can't understand the pleasure Nico felt from killing someone. **

**Besides, this was also the first time she had seen someone die in such a gruesome manner, so some shock should be understandable.**

 **On another note, I have published two new stories. A 'Vampire Knight' Self-Insert and a Bleach Drabble-fic. If you like those fandoms, then check them out.**

 **Please leave a review.**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert]**

 **Have fun.**

* * *

 _Chapter 15_

 _Heart of Courage_

* * *

 _"Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find sin."_  
 _― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars_

 _"All happiness depends on courage and work."_  
 _― Honoré de Balzac_

* * *

Bianca woke up a few minutes after I had forced some ambrosia down her throat. Disoriented and confused, she turned to me for an explanation for why she looked as if she had just bathed in blood. ''What happened? And who are those people?''

Ignoring the presence of our newly acquired 'friends', I let the upper layer of my dress slide to the ground. ''What do you remember?''

''We were eating dinner.'' She tilted her head to the left. ''I finished faster than the both of you, so I decided to go back alone to take a shower.''

Pulling the dress I had prepared earlier and laid onto our bed over my body, I turned my back towards Bianca. ''Could you?'' I pointed at the zipper with both of my thumbs. Luckily, Nico had let me enter the bathroom before him, so I had already cleaned my bloody hands. They were a little pale now and there was still some blood under my nails, however, I did not look as if I had just committed a murder anymore.

''Nora, what happened?'' My sister inquired as she helped me put on my dress.

Exhaling loudly, I looked at her over my shoulder. There must have been something on my face because she grabbed both of my hands in her own and gave me a reassuring smile. ''It's alright, you can tell me.''

And I did. I told her about how she was ambushed and how we felt the pain she had experienced. I told her of our rather bad rescue plan and how everything went wrong.

 _Just like Nico, Bianca felt no guilt._

''I guess we're leaving.'' It was not a question but a statement. Our packed bags gave her an answer without any words and the dress I had prepared for her reminded my sister of what she needed to do before we went outside for the first time in decades.

Unlike me, Bianca waited until our brother left the bathroom to get dressed. She regarded the foreign group that stood next to our door with suspicion and disappeared in the adjoining room.

While I moved our two bags towards the entrance—We only took what was truly needed. The bags were not even half-full. Father would make sure that someone came to get our remaining possessions.—Nico sat down on our bed and started putting on his socks and shoes.

Once he was fully dressed and Bianca finally left the bathroom—She did not have enough time to bath. Just like me she had cleaned the spots that were not covered by our clothes.—we made our way out of the room. There was no need for us to close the door with a key, the Lotus Eaters would make sure that no one stole anything from us.

Nico was the first one to pass over the threshold, followed by Bianca and lastly me. Percy and his friends left the room after us and I could not stop myself from halting for a second next to Annabeth.

 _''I'm sorry.''_ A soft whisper that would do nothing to lessen her grief.

Then I scurried away like the coward I was. I just could not have left without saying it. The girl had just lost her brother because of my siblings and though I did not regret Aiden's death in the way I probably should have—The boy had tried to kill my sister. When it came to choosing between the two of them, I would always choose Bianca.—I still felt sorry for her.

Walking down the long hallway, my thoughts wandered to another matter.

I was terrified of the act my brother had just committed. The murder itself was not the reason for my fear, no, to save my siblings I would have gladly burned the whole world to the ground. However, I could not understand the _pleasure_ he had felt. I could not understand the satisfaction killing someone brought him and I could not even begin to fathom the darkness within him.

Nico was the definition of a Child of Hades. An aura of fear, death and madness always surrounded him and more than once had I noticed people flinching away from him. My twin had our father's aristocratic features and depthless eyes that could see straight into your soul.

He also had a slowly deteriorating sanity and morally questionable decision-making.

My brother, the darkness within him, sometimes terrified me.

And there was nothing I could do against it. This was who we were; The Children of Hades. As children of the Underworld we were small parts of _death_ and if there was one thing that death wasn't, then it was _pretty._ When it came down to it, we represented a domain that was filled with pain and madness. By the natural order of things, we absorbed some of those attributes and changed a little more each day.

In comparison to me, Nico had a stronger connection to the powers we inherited from our godly parent. There was also the factor of us being raised by our father. We were raised to be spoiled, egoistical and selfish. That was the way gods were and that was the way we needed to be to survive.

Our father did not raise us to be _good,_ he raised us to be _survivors._

 _And the truth was that in this world only the_ monsters _survived._

''Finally.'' Grover sighed loudly and practically ran the last few meters towards the exit. Leaving the hotel was easier than I expected, but I did not dwell more on the matter because for first time in what felt like only three months a fresh whiff of air entered my nostrils.

The world had changed a lot since we had last walked the streets outside of the Lotus Hotel. It was nighttime when we left the place which had been our home for the last few _decades._ Though the sky might have been a midnight blue, the city was fully alive. Colorful shields lightened the streets and advertised the newest products on the market. They also showed the way to the different casinos and other popular places.

Cars hurried down the streets and honked in displeasure. The loud bustle of the night filled my ears and steered my attention to the people walking down the paved roads. Many of them had smartphones—How long has it been since I had last seen one?—in their hands or headphones in their ears.

Women wore clothes that I had happily worn in another lifetime. Now, they made me feel slightly uncomfortable. While most of them were dressed acceptably, some seemed to have nothing on them.

Shorts that did not even cover their behind and shirts that revealed way too much.

The city was _brighter_ and _louder_ than I remembered and a sudden nostalgia clouded my senses.

As a gift for my birthday, my mother had once taken me to Moscow. Back then, when I had still been _Nadia,_ the city had been the most magnificent thing I had ever seen. Everything seemed almost magical to me back then. Before that day I had never left the small town I had been born in and I had not truly known what to expect of the city life.

This experience was similar to that day. Seeing a modern city after almost fifteen years caused a longing to form in heart. I couldn't really tell for what exactly this longing was. My life as Nadia or my childhood in the 20th century?

Perhaps I missed both of them equally.

Regarding Percy Jackson as he walked over the parking lot towards his car, I knew that there was no going back now. Dwelling on the past once again would do me no good and so I forced my feet to move over the full parking lot. My siblings followed only two steps behind me and I made sure that it stayed that way.

I knew that I would have to do it soon, but I wasn't ready to face reality yet.

''There isn't enough place for all of us.'' Percy muttered as he scratched the back of his head.

After passing by a yellow Porsche, I stopped moving next to Percy and looked inside the car. There was one seat too little and we did not truly have enough time to get another vehicle or a cab. Besides, splitting up wasn't a good idea. Father obviously wanted us to go to the camp, otherwise he would have already told us to come home, so we had to follow them. In such a big city, getting separated would be quite easy and in such a case we would not have been able to find the right way to our destination by ourselves.

Staying together was the better option. ''Bianca can sit on Nico's lap.''

''I don't...'' He was interrupted by Annabeth who was already sitting down in the front. ''We don't have time for this, Percy.''

My gaze moved to her, to her pale face and red-rimmed eyes. Once again guilt coursed through my veins and I forced myself to look away. Using my right hand, I pointed inside the car. ''Get in first.''

For a second Nico's dark orbs clashed with my own. He seemed to be searching for something, but I did not know what. A gentle smirk crawled onto his lips and I felt a soft touch on the back of my hand. It was gone as soon as it appeared. He entered the car and Bianca went in after him. She sat down on his lap and I had no other choice but to follow them.

I had seen the way Grover regarded my brother, as if he were a wild beast, and he certainly would not want to sit next to both of my siblings. The satyr sat down next to me, trying to keep as much space between us as possible.

Nico, on the other hand, did not seem to know the meaning of personal space. His knee bumped against mine and he put his hand on my thigh. Completely ignoring the uncomfortable silence, my twin decided to ask the one question even I was interested in. ''What year do we have?''

Percy turned his head towards us and started the ignition. ''2009.''

The car moved backwards and we were soon driving along the busy streets. Through the front mirror I could see how a small frown marred Percy's face. He kept glancing back at us with a curious and wary light shining in his eyes.

Annoyed, I opened my mouth and said: ''If you want to know something, then just ask.''

''If you don't mind.'' He bit his lip. ''When exactly were you born?''

For a moment I wondered if he had already guessed our heritage. Perhaps he hoped that one of us would take his place in the prophecy. Fortunately, father would have never allowed us to leave the hotel as long as such a possibility existed. ''Nico and I, we were born in 1931.'' Amused, I observed how his mouth fell open. ''Bianca is not even two years older than us. She was born in 1929.''

Although it seemed as if he wanted to ask more, one look at Annabeth stopped him from doing so. We spend the rest of the ride in silence.

* * *

Our power, it came at a heavy price. A price payed for something no human should ever possess should never be taken lightly. There was a reason for why it took me the longest to learn shadow traveling. For why I preferred to rely on my weapons and hand-to-hand combat.

It was once said that if you stare long enough into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you. The Children of Hades were forever bound by a similar principle. Death and the afterlife were both things that the living should have no contact with, but we would always be connected to them in ways no one but us could understand. And the more of the powers we inherited from our father we used, the more of their attributes we absorbed.

Death wasn't pretty and neither was the Underworld. Our powers based on our origins and they were also the carriers of our madness. A rise in strength and usage of our powers caused a decrease in our own sanity.

That was why things were changing so drastically. Why my siblings were so different from how they were actually meant to be. While Bianca cautiously embraced the darkness we had been blessed with, Nico had allowed it to consume him a while ago.

And I...I just constantly kept running away from it.

The shadows' whisper frightened me beyond believe and I could not deal with the constant weeping of the damned souls. Their cries of anguish echoed in my ears if I used too much of my inherited powers and threatened to drive me insane.

Then there was also the adrenaline and thirst for battle. They made us forget all of our mortal limitations and forced us to abandon certain set rules. Surrounded by the darkness of our powers, there was no right or wrong, only the enemy that stood before us.

I had once asked Nico how it was to just _let go._

The answer I received wasn't an unexpected one. Nico described the exhilaration and euphoria that coursed through his veins each time he allowed the darkness to escape its holding cell. He explained how everything was heightened, the moves our enemies made passing by in slow motion. The cries of the dead ringing in his ears and his whole body tingling from the terrifying power our father had gifted us with.

Through our bond I had experienced those moments alongside with him, but instead of making me feel any happiness or pleasure, those times left me scared. Nico, however, seemed almost addicted to it.

He relished the moments in which the boundary that separated us from the gods became almost nonexistent and loved the power that allowed him to do almost anything he wanted. There were not many that could stand in his way when he unleashed the darkness that was hidden within the three of us. Fighting made him feel _invincible._

Living in this world made me sometimes wonder how much had been actually sugarcoated in the books. The PJO series was meant for kids, so there were many things that had been shown in a lighthearted manner, of course, but I still sometimes wondered how much of those things were actually true.

A few of my loose locks tickled my skin and I pushed them behind my ear. My dress pooled around my feet, exposing my bloodied legs. I had changed my clothes earlier, but there had been no time to take a bath. Luckily, we had finally arrived at our resting place for the night; a small motel just outside of Vegas.

Without sparring our room a glance—I shared a room with my siblings, while our three acquaintances slept in the room next door.—I had rushed inside the small bathroom. Considering the luxuries we were used to, the dingy room made my nose wrinkle, but it was better than having no place to clean myself.

Although I knew that I could not blame myself for what had happened, it did not stop me from feeling guilty. The dried blood clinging to my skin did not make me feel any better. It was sticky and made forgetting what had happened a few hours ago almost impossible.

Moving the green curtain aside, I entered the small shower and turned on the water. Icy coldness stung my skin and plastered dark strands to my face. The water warmed only slightly over time, but it was enough for my usually cold skin.

Transfixed, I watched how blood dripped down my body and mixed with the clear water. There was no soap and we had forgotten to take some with us, so I would have to clean myself without it. I rubbed my hands over my body until I _felt_ at least partly clean and raised my face towards the cool water.

''Nora?'' Bianca knocked on the door. ''Are you alright?''

Was I? The urge to laugh hysterically almost overwhelmed me. A mixture between a laugh and sob escaped my lips and I knew that I was not alright.

I was a reincarnated soul that remembered her past life and failed at every task she had given myself. I failed my mother, my siblings and _myself._ Even after all this years, I still haven't _accepted_ myself and continued living by the morals of my old life.

So no, I was not alright and I would be only worse if things did not change soon. I could not continue resenting my brother for something he had no control over. Sadly, that's what I secretly did. I was jealous of him and the way he did not care about anything. Jealous of how he accepted himself and the powers we inherited from our father.

 _I envied his courage._

His strength and control over our powers was something I could only dream of because it were those powers that I feared more than anything else.

''Nora?'' This time it was Nico, his calm and worried voice bringing shame to my heart. I knew that I had to change, but it wasn't _easy._ I did not want to let my powers control me, but I somehow had the feeling that whether I wanted it or not, the moment to make a choice had long since passed and that now I would just have to follow what the fates had in store for me.

The door handle rattled loudly as my brother tried to come inside. ''Nora, I'm coming in.''

Saying 'no' would have been for naught, Nico rarely listened to what others said. I just considered myself lucky because he did not break down the door. Currently, we did not have any money with us, so paying for any damage would have been impossible. Instead of causing more trouble than we could handle right now, Nico just shadow traveled inside the bathroom.

Deciding to ignore him for the time being, I leaned my head against the white tiles of the shower. Water dripped down my back as I waited for whatever was to come next. Surprisingly, Nico did not come here to have a long conversation with me.

Rustling of clothes filled the silent room and the next thing I knew was that his arms were around me, holding my body against his chest. His warm breath caressed my cold cheek and I could not stop myself from melting against him. Warm, that's how his body felt against mine and the safety I suddenly felt surprised me.

I didn't know how long we stood there, pelted by the cold water and warmed by each others bodies, but I did not protest when he led me out of the shower, nor did I stop him from helping me get dressed in my sleeping gown. While my tears dried, my mind was occupied with more important matters.

 _I needed to change._

* * *

They had been stupid and not cautious enough. A group of five demigods outside the camp's safety just screamed danger. Monsters started following them the moment they left the motel.

It started slowly. One or two cyclops at first, then a giant. Before they knew what was happening, a horde of different monsters was already following them. Their little group managed to lose some of them. A few were even defeated and sent away to reform.

At the beginning they seemed to have the situation under control, that is, until one of their charges was injured. A gorgon managed to scratch Nico. The wound stretched over his abdomen to his hipbone and leg. Bianca saved him in the last second by suddenly appearing at his side and pulling him away from the monster.

However, it was already too late. The wound was deep and they did not have any ambrosia or nectar with them anymore. Grover had lost one of their bags during a fight.

If their small group did not arrive at camp soon the boy would bleed out. Breaking all traffic rules, Percy drove as fast as he could. Cars honked and people cursed in their wake, but they did not stop. While Annabeth helped him find the fastest route, Grover sat in the back on the floor, helping the two sisters bandage their brother.

Percy could not understand the other boy's recklessness. Nico had taken one of the spare knifes the Son of Poseidon had decided to pack in his bag for this quest and rushed at the monsters with a bloodthirsty eagerness. If it weren't for his sisters, the boy would have probably tried fighting them from the beginning on. And although Percy thought that the other demigod's decision was stupid and careless, Nico still managed to surprise him with his skill.

The boy danced around the monsters and slashed at them with the unfamiliar weapon. His battle reflexes were superb and Percy was surprised at the strength and speed the other boy displayed.

Those attributes and his ruthlessness made him into a dangerous adversary and showed Percy that the other boy must have been training for _years._

All this only heightened the suspicion and wariness he felt around Nico di Angelo. The other boy was a strong and unknown component that was certainly hiding a secret and would not hesitate to slit all of their throats while they slept.

 _Nico di Angelo was without a doubt the most dangerous one of his siblings._

Unfortunately, their car gave out a few miles away from their safe haven which meant that Percy had to carry the injured boy with Grover's help. The three girl's in their group did their best to defend them against the incoming monsters.

 _There were too many of them._

In a moment of carelessness, Bianca was thrown against a tree, injuring her head in the process. Luckily, she wasn't knocked out and continued running with the help of her sister. Annabeth could not fight the monsters on her own and soon they were all running for their lives.

''You need to take Nico to safety.'' The youngest one of the siblings said. Nora was looking at her older sister with a pleading look. ''I'll stop them long enough for you to reach camp. I can't shadow travel with the both of you and neither you nor Nico can do it with the injuries you have.''

 _Shadow travel?,_ Percy's brows scrunched up in confusion.

The sisters were holding each others hand, Nora using this hold to pull her sister along. ''Go.''

''You don't actually believe that we would leave you, do you?'' Bianca asked almost hysterically.

The younger girl pushed her in Percy's direction. ''This was not a question, sister. I'll survive on my own, I have done the _least_ to protect us. Here, in the state you are in, the both of you are only a _hindrance._ '' There seemed to be a deeper meaning to her words. Her eyes held a pain Percy had never seen in someone as young as she was. ''Nico needs help. I'm sure you don't want to be the one at fault for his death.''

Their eyes clashed and a silent conversation followed. Then it was Bianca helping him carry her brother and not Grover.

It was when they were only a few meters away from the borders that he felt it. Immediately, his hand clenched painfully around the sword it was holding and his steps hastened.

The sweet smell of decaying flesh assaulted his nostrils and forced him to choke down rising bile. They entered the camp and Percy almost collapsed. His head turned towards the lone girl who was situated more than twenty meters away from him. Golden dust already tainted the earth and a dying harpy laid at her feet.

Shadows seemed to gather around the borders of the camp, even more of them at the place where Nora was standing.

Fear crept up his spine and prickled his skin. Percy could see leaves starting to fall from trees, decaying and changing into dust even before they touched the ground. Frost gather on the dying barks and puffs of air became visible once he let a deep breath escape his pale lips. An unbelievable cold tingled his skin and made the fine hair on his arms stand.

What sounded like the shrieks of souls that had damned to spend the rest of eternity in the Fields of Punishment threatened to burst his eardrums. Something weighted heavily on his shoulders and pushed them down. Though he did not dare to take his eyes off the girl he had previously judged to be the _weakest_ of her siblings, Percy still noticed some of the other campers falling to their knees.

Nora, however, just stood a few meters outside the camp's borders, regarding the horde of monsters calmly. Her hands touched their opposite's wrist and it was then that there was no mistaking who she truly was.

One after another two giant spears sprung to life. They were darker than the night, sprinkled with just the fewest crimson stars. Percy could literally see the cloud of shadows slowly slithering in the weapons' direction and he did not even want to imagine how much touching those two spears would _hurt._

 _Stygian Iron._

There were many legends he had heard about it and all of them taught him that he should never even dream of touching a weapon made of that material. Black as a nightmare and more lethal than any other metal, it was the only thing capable of stopping monsters from reforming.

Percy never thought that he would actually get to witness a weapon made of that iron in action, but seeing it in Nora's hands and feeling the power that was flowing off it in waves made him actually wish that he never had.

In preparation for the incoming fight, the girl twirled both spears in her hands. They moved with an incredible speed and left a black mist in their wake. Even before the first monster appeared, Nora stopped moving and readied her battle stance. Seeing it, Percy did not doubt that she had went through _years_ of training.

 _'So this is what a Child of Hades looks like',_ he thought numbly as something cool touched the skin of his cheek. Noticing the gray flakes falling from the sky, Percy believed for a second that it was actually _snowing._ That is, until he used his left hand to wipe his face and it came back with a dark stain.

 _Ashes. Ashes were falling from the sky._

Just as he thought that it could not get any worse, Percy Jackson witnessed how a skeletal arm broke through the frozen earth. A dead soldier, dressed in a medieval uniform and holding a silver sword, rose from the earth and stopped moving right besides his _mistress._

He was the first of many to come. One after another skeletal forms made their way onto the battlefield. Men and women from times long past, carrying different weapons of their choice. Some of them were nothing but bones, others still had some decaying flesh clinging to them.

The way they moved—the loud rattling of bones and the clang of metal against their bodies—caused goosebumps to appear on Percy's skin. It was almost as frightening as the _cackling_ that left some of their 'mouths'.

Due to all the noise and the shrieks of the damned still ringing in his ears, Percy almost missed the soft command.

 _''Attack.''_ A smooth female voice that seemed to freeze time. Every single skeleton stopped moving just for a second and then they were _running._ About forty dead bodies were racing down the hill towards the incoming monsters, only five of them stayed behind at their mistress's side.

 _'And then the dead shall rise and bring mayhem_

 _A child of Hades being among them'_

He was one of the only few campers left standing, most of them had already fallen onto the ground. The final part of the prophecy had been fulfilled and Percy Jackson finally knew why the Children of Hades were so _feared._

Everything inside him screamed at the thought. He, a Child of Poseidon, should not be scared of a Daughter of the Dead. A familiar warmth filled his body, and the loud roaring of the ocean tried to blend out all of the other sounds. And although Percy managed to take his first breath in what felt like an eternity, the fear did not completely subside. Fact was that he might have been perhaps able to defeat Nora, but fighting her would without a doubt mean fighting her siblings and that was a war he could never win.

Sweat gathered on his temple and mixed with the ashes that marred his skin. His mouth felt very dry as he watched the girl finally move forward. Though it felt as if hours had passed, Percy knew that it could not have been more than a few seconds.

The surprising thing was that the monsters that had followed them for so long had slowed down once they felt the suffocating power. Some of them—the smarter ones—ran away the moment Nora released the darkness within her, others stayed to slowly face their death.

The spears sliced loudly through the air as Nora attacked her first foe. The large cyclops stood no chance against the fragile looking girl. She spun through the air and cut his head in half. Before the golden dust could bath her from head to toe, the girl _vanished_ and appeared not even a second later next to another cyclops, cutting his legs with one spear and decapitating him with the other.

Three of her subjects stopped the _Chimera's_ claw from cutting her in half, while another dozen swarmed it and started stabbing it with their swords. Nora distracted the large monster and one of the skeletons, a confederate soldier, stabbed his sword through the Chimera's head.

And then she was on the other side of the battlefield, stabbing an unsuspecting giant through the chest.

It was then that Percy noticed the expression on her face. She was only a few meters away from him _._ Her crazed eyes were widened to an almost impossible extent and so dark that one could not see where the pupil begun and ended.

 _A mad smile graced her pale lips._

He could hear his mother shrieking in pain as he looked into those eyes and see how the flames of hell encompassed her whole form.

 _Percy wanted to scream._

The need to blink saved him from screaming his throat raw and allowed him to asses his _cousin._ While her face spoke of excitement and eagerness to fight, her body seemed to be slowly tiring. Pale skin and bloody gashes greeted his eyes, and the slight trembling of her limbs alerted him to the exhaustion she must have been feeling.

And yet she did not stop fighting, not even when she had the chance to enter the camp's safety. Nora continued slaughtering her way through her enemies, ignoring the wounds inflicted upon her body.

She danced gracefully around her foes and got rid of as many as she could. However, her movement seemed to get a little more sluggish with each second and Percy knew that she would not be able to go on at such a pace for much longer.

 _Nora was mortal and as such she had her limits._

Her siblings seemed to notice that as well. Nico— _the madman_ —tried to stand up, only to double over in pain. Raising his head, he looked towards his twin sister. ''Nora! Nora, you need to stop!''

The girl did not listen and Percy watched as something akin to horror danced across the boy's face. Nico's hand shot out to his right leg. The action mirrored by Bianca who sat next to him and seemed to have a hard time deciding what to do next.

His gaze moved to the last di Angelo sibling and his eyes filled with dread. In the time he had sacrificed to regard her siblings, one of the monsters had managed to severely wound the girl's right leg. She was leaning heavily against a tree, only one of her spears in her possession.

Only about ten skeletons were left and they tried to form a protective shield around their mistress. They were weaker than at the beginning of the fight and easily eliminated by one of the remaining cyclops.

And then Nora stood there alone, facing more monsters than she would be able to beat and her head held high and eyes filled with fear. The high she had been on seemed to be dissipating, leaving a sense of horror behind. She raised her hand, the one that was still in possession of a spear, to defend herself against the incoming fist. It trembled with exhaustion and Percy knew that no matter how quick he would move, he would not reach the girl fast enough.

Time seemed to slow down as the massive fist moved in the girl's direction. Her panting breaths were visible from afar and he witnessed the moment she _gave up._ Resignation appeared on her face in form of a grimace and her arm lowered itself just a little. The fist was not even a meter away from crushing her. Nora's dark eyes closed in preparation and her sister's loud cry echoed in his ears.

Just as the fist was about to make contact something unexpected happened. The shadows seemed to gather behind Nora and a pale arm found its way around her waist.

 _The cyclops decayed within less than a second and a few remaining particles of him were blown into the air.  
_

Slowly, the shadows revealed an imposing figure. A young man, not even thirty years old in appearance, stepped out of the darkness and pulled Nora against his black clad chest. Dark flowing robes fluttered in the wind and for a second Percy thought that he could see something on the material moving—thousands of souls begging for _mercy._

The demigod shivered slightly as his gaze wandered from the man's albino hand to his face. High cheek bones and dissatisfied sneer greeted him there and Percy watched how the man's _mad_ gaze assessed the girl in his arms.

The monster's that did not manage to run fast enough disappeared within seconds and the _god's_ lips parted slightly. His uncle might have chosen to wear another form that day, but there was no denying his true identity.

Those who had been left standing bowed at the sight of the God of the Underworld and Percy could do nothing but follow their example.


	16. Worst In Me

_Important!_

 _As some of you might have noticed, I've started editing some of my stories once again. Correcting some of the worst mistakes in this story has become my newest goal, so it might be some time until I update it once again._

 _I only hope that once I'm finished, 'The Travelers Future' will be better than it is now._

 _nariai_

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 **Thank you for all of your reviews. I really did not expect such a huge amount of them for just one chapter and I am truly happy to hear that you liked the action scene. It was one of the things I wasn't really sure about.**

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 **Please leave a review.**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert]**

 **Enjoy.  
**

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 _Chapter 16_

 _Worst In Me_

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 _"Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody."  
― Mark Twain_

 _"I'm not afraid of the darkness outside._ _It's the darkness inside houses I don't like."_  
 _― Shelagh Delaney_

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Staring at _death_ for a second time in my existence and knowing what would happen when it finally managed to get me only heightened the _horror_ I felt at the prospect of losing my life once again. There was the panic, of course. It was unavoidable and all-encompassing. Then there was also the familiar _fear._ I had already died once and I certainly wasn't ready to experience the whole reincarnation thing for a second time.

Those two emotions were accompanied by an unreasonable anger. _Because how dare such a lowly creature even think about destroying_ me, _a Daughter of Hades._

I was a princess of the Underworld. A mere cyclops could not represent my _demise._

Rarely, had I ever felt such contempt and superiority towards another being and I couldn't quite tell where those emotions were coming from.

But I did not have much time to analyze any of it. As I watched that fist moving in my direction—It would crush me, break me and leave nothing behind.—a numb resignation took over my entire being and allowed my trembling arm to lower itself.

This wasn't the first time I would die and considering the fact that I seemed to be one of the Fate's favorite toys, it probably wouldn't be the last time either.

 _At least my siblings were safe._

The irony of the situation did not manage to escape my noticed. I, a daughter of the one of the Big Three, was about to fall in a fight against a horde of monsters while protecting those I cared about the most in the world. Just a few meters away from me were the camp borders and what I guessed to be _Thalia Grace's_ pine tree. The truth was that I could only hope that father would not come up with an equally stupid idea as turning me into a _tree._

Although I did not wish to die, being a tree still wasn't a part of my To-Do-List.

In contrary to the popular believe, my whole life did not flash before my eyes as I stood there waiting for my demise. The fist did not move in slow-motion and neither did I feel a sudden surge of power that would save me.

I just stood there, thousands of thoughts racing through my head and Bianca's cries reaching my ears. A grudging acceptance filled me and I knew that there was _nothing_ I could do.

 _I was going to die again._

Closing my eyes tightly in preparation, I exhaled what I thought to be my last breath. My whole body trembled in trepidation as waited for the end.

I waited and waited for something that never came.

A familiar warmth surrounded me as a strong arm circled my waist. There was no word that could properly describe the _relief_ I felt that very moment. Dark eyes snapped open and my body slumped against _Father's_ chest.

The cyclops was _gone_ , only a few left-over particles dancing in the air. One after another the remaining monsters vanished and soon only the two of us were left standing. Slowly, my gaze moved to the right and I saw an expected and yet surprising sight.

At the borders dozens of campers were gathered, all of them bowing deeply at the sight of my father. None of them even dared to raise their heads, their postures showed complete submission.

''You're safe.'' His deep voice whispered into my ear and I realized how _fast_ my heart was still beating. I took a calming breath and looked away from the relieved faces of my siblings to my father.

He was regarding me calmly, his gaze racking over my body to make sure that I wasn't severely injured. It quickly moved to my leg, tacking in the deep cut and tilting his head slightly to the left.

My chest felt heavy, as if something was weighting down on it. Father tenderly put an arm under my shoulder blades and knees, carefully avoiding my injury. Without a problem, he picked me up and turned towards the camp.

Leaning my head against his shoulder, I tried and failed to breathe in deeply. I clenched my fists tightly as Father stopped moving directly before the camp's borders. He regarded the invisible line with his dark eyes and I could feel his distaste.

The gods weren't just allowed to enter Camp Half-Blood. They needed a probable reason and my father did not have one. Truthfully, as our godly parent he wasn't even allowed to save me in the first place. Out of his brothers, Hades was the most honorable one. That was the reason why, unlike both of his younger brothers, he did not sire a child after the pact had been made. Although Father was a god, I liked to think that he took his duty seriously and executed his reign in the Underworld as fairly as possible.

But that did not change the fact that he was indeed a _god_ and as such he did indulge in his selfishness.

From what I knew, there was probably some barrier around the camp, but it did not show any resistance when Father stepped over it. I doubted it could have stopped him anyway.

There was a clatter of hooves as a centaur came up to us. His face familiar and lowered to show respect.

 _Chiron_

''Welcome to Camp Half-Blood...'' The centaur bowed deeply. ''...Lord Hades.''

Nodding his head in acknowledgment, Father quickly moved past the man and towards my siblings. Something ugly reared its head inside of me when I saw Nico's pale and clammy face. I could feel his lightheadedness, his bloodied bandages being the reason for it.

 _He had lost so much blood._

Relief lightened his face, though his lips turned into a sneer when his eyes landed on my wounded leg. Anger—at the monsters, me and himself—drowned out everything else he felt and I realized that he wasn't the only one being filled by such an overpowering rage. Although I did not want it to happen, I could do nothing as his anger fueled the flames inside my own chest.

Father lowered me onto the ground and Bianca quickly moved to my side. '' _Papa.''_

Her gratefulness was visible in her whole demeanor, but her face also betrayed the exertion of trying to push our emotions away from her own.

Father's lips tilted slightly upwards and he reached inside his pocket. A small pouch was taken out of it and after opening it, he handed a few pieces of ambrosia to me. ''Eat.''

 _A command._

My lips turned down and I took the offered food with a trembling hand. I watched, silently seething, how he turned to Nico and examined him almost clinically. Then he reached inside the pouch once again and gave my brother almost twice as much ambrosia as he had given me. Before his attention moved to Bianca, Father made sure that Nico had eaten all of his offerings and even lifted some of the bandages to see if the wound was healing.

 _A little late to start worrying about us, huh?_

Narrowing my eyes, I knew that there was something _wrong._ Never before had I experienced such a raw _anger._ It was mixing with Nico's own emotions and no amount of calm Bianca tried to push into us could stop our rising rage.

Normally, I could have stopped this. A long time had passed since I had last been unable to differentiate between my emotions and those of my siblings, but I just couldn't _concentrate._ The shrieks of the dead echoed in my ears and my skin still prickled from the use of so much power. Low murmurs seemed to come from the shadows and no matter how much I tried I just couldn't push them away.

Now, that I had let the darkness escape its prison, it wouldn't just go back inside.

 _Why didn't he interfere earlier?_

''Thank you, _papa.''_ Bianca said after she swallowed a piece of ambrosia. Her brows were furrowed slightly in concentration and I felt another wave of calm hit me, but the anger did not subside.

''Keep the pouch, you might need it in the future.'' Squeezing my sister's hand, Father turned his body to us. ''I'm sure you have many questions, however, now is not the time to ask them.''

Opening her mouth, Bianca blinked in confusion. ''What? But...''

''You will be staying here for a while. Until the right time comes, you are not allowed to leave.'' Father's tone left no place for arguments and had we been any other mortal, then perhaps we would have listened to the instinct that screamed at us to obey. But we weren't, thus we _questioned_ Hades' decisions.

At least, Bianca did it in a respectful and gentle manner, her voice soft and polite. ''We've been trapped inside that hotel for _decades, papa,_ and now you want to imprison us _again?''_

Lightning flashed across the sky and highlighted our father's features eerily. Zeus wasn't happy with the current happenings and he wasn't afraid to show his displeasure. Ignoring the darkening sky, father clearly showed how little he cared about his brother's opinions.

The people surrounding us did not share his view.

Some gasped when they heard Bianca talking back to our father, most observed the proceedings warily, especially the dark clouds above our heads.

''This is not a prison, Bianca.'' Gently, he pushed a lock of my sister's hair behind her ear. ''This is for your protection.''

Protection? What protection? Home, that's where we would be the safest and whatever he might have claimed, this certainly wasn't for protection.

An unladylike snort passed my lips and they turned into a sneer. ''Protection? _Please,_ at least have the decency not to lie to us. You come here after _decades_ and...'' Bianca grabbed my right arm tightly and tried to pacify me. Though her rising panic made the attempt futile, it still managed to stop me from saying something stupid for the moment. '' _Why? Why have you come now?''_ I hissed.

 _Why have you only come after the three of us have almost died? After I crossed a point I can't come back from anymore?_

''You're angry.'' An obvious statement that only served to fuel my negative emotions. Even the normally so comforting hand on my arm did not manage to calm me down. Once again I noticed how unusual this situation was and wondered if it truly had something to do with our heritage.

What was happening to me?

The earth shook because of my anger, stopping almost as soon as it had begun. While we had some control over it, Father was its ultimate ruler. ''You claim that this is for our protection. But the truth is that you are putting us from one golden-gilded cage to another, as if we were some priced _possessions_ of yours.'' I paused, breathing heavily. There was a warning in Father's eyes, but I was too far gone to heed it. _''Fuck you.''_

Silence. No one said anything. Percy Jackson winced noticeably as he stared at me with shocked eyes.

Dangerously dark orbs met my own and suddenly I couldn't breathe. Fear threatened to choke me and an unsettling coldness took hold of my entire body. The _screams_ were louder than ever before and for a moment I actually wished that the cyclops' fist had hit me.

Three things happened at the same time; I _flinched_ and tried to scramble backwards, Nico put his hand over the one father had situated on my arm and whispered something I could not decipher, Father immediately reined in his power and something akin to regret shone in his _mad_ eyes.

It had been about sixty years since he last had to control his power around us, so I did not truly blame him for what had happened. Especially because I did defy him and it helped clear my head.

Still, it did not stop me from feeling the instinctual fear every mortal felt while facing an angry _god._

 _''Nora.''_ A hand gently caressed my cheek. '' _You will obey me.''_

It was the same thing he had once said to my sister and just like her I could not oppose such a direct order. My fists clenched and then relaxed at my sides and I lowered my head slightly. _''Sì, papa.''_

Switching to Italian was something we all did reflexively or subconsciously if the situation asked for it. Right now I felt as if I was still a nine years old and currently being chastened by Father for wandering off on my own. Though the current situation was worse because _fear_ actually started coursing through my veins when I was forced to face a slightly too large amount of my father's power. I could not help but wonder how bad it must have been for the others when I myself felt so overwhelmed and horrified.

Father leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. Then his attention left me and my whole body slumped slightly. He bid my siblings farewell in the same manner and ordered Bianca to take care of us.

Not for the first time in this I life I registered how lucky I actually was. Had I been any other mortal, then I would have been already dead and on my way to the Fields of Punishment. As it was, I was only reprimanded and left alone afterwards.

A part of me, the mortal one that was still largely _Nadia_ , had and would always fear what my father represented.

 _Death. Pain. Reincarnation. The existence of higher beings._

It did not matter how angry I might have been at the moment or how scared I had felt while facing his anger, nothing could ever change the fact that I _loved_ my father and respected him more than any other being.

Thus I felt shame welling up inside me as I watched him leave. He stood up and turned his back to us, uttering his last command inside the camp. ''You _will_ keep them safe, Chiron.''

Sweat trickled down Chiron's face as he nodded his head vehemently. ''Of course, Lord Hades, there is no safer place for them than Camp Half-Blood.''

Letting his gaze wander around our surroundings one last time, Father gathered the shadows around his form. He was gone before anyone could have tried saying anything else.


	17. Figures Of Legends

**This is the longest chapter I have written until now. More than 8k words. I hope they make up for the long wait and for the fact that I haven't managed to edit this story yet.**

 **I tried writing many different POVs in this chapter and I hope that I have always stayed in character. All the characters from whose POV I have written in this chapter are from now on main characters in this story.**

 **Please leave a review.**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert]**

 **Have fun.**

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 _Chapter 17  
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 _Figures Of Legends_

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 _"Even death has a heart."  
― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief _

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Camp Half-Blood was everything Bianca expected it to be; A home for children who would mostly never reach their adulthood. One last save haven and a temporary reprieve for those who knew what it meant to live on the run from _monsters._ Fantastical and in many ways too good to be true.

Their father had informed them about this camp more than once, but Bianca was still surprised by the happiness this whole place seemed to radiate.

The girl could not fathom how no one noticed that Camp Half-Blood was just a thinly veiled _slaughterhouse._

Children were brought here to learn about their heritage and then taught how to fight. Later, the gods chose the strongest ones to fulfill quests for them.

Quests most did not survive.

The sad thing was that those who did not manage to reach camp lived even less than those who did. There was no life outside of the camp for demigods, there was only _survival._ And inside the camp most children came to believe that they needed to prove their worth to their godly parent which was something Bianca could not truly comprehend.

None of the di Angelo siblings ever had to doubt their father's love. It was one of the consistencies in their life.

''Are you alright, Bianca?'' asked her brother while he sat down on a cot besides their sister. Nora seemed to be completely lost in her own thoughts, not even reacting to the suddenly broken silence.

''I'm fine,'' answered the oldest living child of Hades. ''You shouldn't worry about me. Nora and you suffered worse injuries than I.''

Her gaze slipped towards their sister and a worried expression appeared on her face. Bianca knew exactly what was happening to the younger girl, just as she knew that there was nothing she could do to help her sister.

There were some things in life that a person needed to do by themselves.

Accepting herself and her powers was one of those things Bianca could not help her sister with.

''The ambrosia healed most it. I'm more worried about,'' he spoke each word a little quieter than the previous one. ''you know.''

His gaze never strayed from his twin and he was fiddling nervously with the hem of his shirt. At any other time, Bianca might have described his behavior as _endearing._ Her brother, for all his craziness and apathy, loved both of his sisters dearly.

Nora rolled her eyes, her siblings' combined worry piercing through whatever thoughts she had been trapped in. ''You do know that I can hear you.''

''Well, of course you can,'' Nico begun. ''It's not as if you're deaf.''

Bianca almost sighed as she watched her siblings squabble. It was such a common sight that she could not even bring herself to feel annoyed. Nico and Nora might have loved each other more than the world itself, but that did not change the fact that they were two completely different individuals. This became especially clear in the last few years. Where Nora was soft and merciful, Nico was harsh and unforgiving. They butted heads due to their differing morals and more than once Bianca had to calm their rising emotions.

Though the truth was that ultimately one of them always gave in. It was Nora more often than not, but Nico also knew when a fight was lost. In many ways he reminded his older sister of their father. The son of Hades had not only inherited most of their father's looks, but also his personality.

Bianca wasn't blind to the faults of her own family. She had seen what being a god truly meant and knew that there was nothing good about being compared to one.

Gods were selfish and cruel. They took what they wanted without caring about the consequences. The fate of mere mortals did not interest them. Oftentimes even their children suffered from their disinterest.

Receiving the love of a god was a privilege not many were granted. Even less saw what a curse this privilege truly was.

Not even their father was exempt from that. Bianca had seen the things he was willing to do for them. Had felt all the dead souls that entered the Underworld in the wake of their mother's death.

Bianca, not even an hour ago, had been a witness to Hades' _ambition._

And no matter how much the god might have claimed otherwise, the girl knew exactly that it was due to their father's ambition that they were to stay at Camp Half-Blood. Nora wasn't mistaken in her anger, for their father truly was following a rather selfish agenda.

Hades might have been proud of them, but that wasn't enough for him. He wanted the whole world to feel that way. He wanted his brothers and sisters to see the strength of his most favored offspring. Wanted them to envy him.

Bianca had no illusions when it came to her father. The god was using them to stroke his own ego and the only thing that made him different from the other gods was that he would interfere if the need should arise.

If there was one thing she was certain of, then it was that their father, unlike the other gods, would not sacrifice his three children's lives for his own ambition. _When_ the situation called for it, Hades would save their lives just like he had done it that day.

There was no doubt in her heart when it came to her small family's safety. What she did regard slightly fearfully was her siblings' long term happiness.

Neither of them wanted to be trapped in the camp and Bianca did not feel too pleased about their current situation either. The three of them were trapped in a time they knew nothing about and in a camp full of prejudiced children. There was nothing shameful about being a child of Hades, but looks the other campers sent their way made it seem as if there should be.

The thing that worried her the most though, was the change in the twins' relationship. Nico was not one to hide such things and this could cause them many problems. Bianca did not care about what her siblings did. Unfortunately, the campers would most likely not share her opinion.

That might not have been a problem if it were not for Nico's volatile temper. Should anyone insult Nora, then the boy might actually try and succeed at killing them.

Sometimes Bianca wondered if such a realization should have scared her. As it was, she was just worried about the uproar such an action would cause among the campers.

The children of Hades were strong, but not strong enough to take down the whole camp.

''Just let him bandage you, Nico.'' Nora sounded immensely annoyed as she waved her hand at the young son of Apollo who was treating their wounds. The boy had already taken care of her sisters leg and was now looking sternly at her brother.

Bianca felt as if she should commend him on his bravery. Not many mortals opposed her brother nowadays.

Shaking his head with a scoff, Nico muttered, ''Why? It's almost healed.''

This time Nora did not refrain from hitting their brother's arm, hard. ''Because as you said yourself, the wound is _almost_ healed. I let him bandage mine as well to make sure that nothing aggravates the tender skin. Why can't you just once follow someone else's example for once?''

Before her brother could form a derisive answer, Bianca decided to interfere in Italian. Perhaps this would work better to persuade him. _''Nico, just this once, listen to us.''_

It was then that he finally seemed to notice how the shadows were swirling around their sister. Bianca saw the exact moment he came to the conclusion she herself had come to a while ago; _Nora was not in full control of her powers._

 _''Fine, fine.''_ He threw an arm over Nora's shoulder. The shadows calmed marginally. ''Will, was it? Just do it fast. I don't want to spent the rest of the day in the infirmary.''

''You won't have to. Your sister, on the other hand, might not have a choice in that matter.'' The blonde started wrapping a bandage around her brother's naked torso, covering the thin red line marring his skin.

Nora rolled her eyes. ''I'm perfectly fine.''

''And I wasn't talking about you.'' This was said without any bite, however, it still caused a narrowing of Nico's eyes. ''Bianca suffered a concussion. The ambrosia probably healed most of it, but one can never be sure.''

He turned his head towards the oldest di Angelo sibling. ''You should stay here for observation at least until tomorrow. It's better to be save than sorry.''

Instead of letting her brother answer for her, as he was certainly ready to do, Bianca shook her head to show her denial. ''This is not the first time one of us has had a concussion, so we know how to deal with it. Should anything be wrong, you can trust my siblings to drag me back to you.''

''I don't think this is a good idea,'' Will uttered after regarding her thoughtfully. Although it was clear that the other demigod felt wariness in their presence, he still wanted to perform his duties as a doctor perfectly. That was something Bianca could reluctantly respect.

''Well,'' Bianca smiled a little too widely, showing off her pearly whites. ''I do think this is actually a _great_ idea. Besides, we've been waiting to finally see this wondrous camp of yours for a long time.''

''I really...'' He stopped speaking as soon as he saw her smile widening even more. A loud sigh followed. Bianca loved how scared people could get just after seeing her displeasure. ''How about you come back for a check up after dinner and in the morning. A little cautiousness certainly won't hurt you.''

The youngest child of Hades decided to interrupt. ''That's reasonable.''

Knowing that her sister would not give in, Bianca just sighed and slid down from her cot. ''Fine, _we_ 'll come back later, but for now, wasn't someone meant to show us around?''

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Someone did come to guide them through camp. A young Son of Hermes to be more exact.

Nora, despite her normally patient nature, found herself very quickly irritated by the boy's jittery behavior. The other campers' constant staring did nothing to alleviate those feelings. After all that had happened that day, the youngest di Angelo sibling just wanted to lie down and sleep. Sadly, no one seemed to have gotten that memo, so she was being forced through a tour of the whole camp and was expected to come to dinner afterwards.

The only thing that did manage to heighten her mood was the bed that had been prepared for the three of them in the Hermes cabin. Nora had some blurry memories about some initiation traditions at camp and she for once felt gratefully for the fear the children of Hades naturally inspired. Because of it most of the campers would probably leave them alone.

''It seems _Papa_ is trying to make our stay here as pleasant as possible,'' Nico mused as he let himself fall backwards onto the king sized bed.

The furniture was made of a dark mahogany colored wood in which the abduction of Persephone had been artfully carved. Whether it was meant to work as a decoration or a warning Nora did not know. Oftentimes, it was hard to guess what their father was thinking.

Her older sister snorted as she deposited one of their bags inside the Stygian Iron chest that stood in front of their bed. Considering that no one besides the children of the Underworld could touch that metal, the siblings would not have to fear those brave enough to steal something from them. ''Or he is trying make us stay here by keeping us happy.''

Nico rolled onto his side. ''That's also an option.''

''Of course it is.'' The female twin sat down next to her brother and closed her eyes tiredly. ''Knowing you, you will just up and leave the moment you're bored.''

Throwing an arm slightly awkwardly around her waist, he pulled Nora towards him. ''I don't think I'm the only one _Papa_ is worried about. He did tell _Bianca_ to look after the two of us.''

''She is the oldest.'' Even Nora herself could hear how petulant that statement sounded.

''No,'' voiced Bianca. ''It's just that currently, I'm the only sane one in the family. You, Nora, after your outburst, don't belong to that category anymore.''

More than a little amused, Nico hummed. ''That's something I can't deny.''

''Why do you two always have to gang up against me?'' the younger of the two sisters asked once some of her irritation subsided. She never did manage to stay angry at her siblings for too long.

In answer, Nico tugged her body down, half of it falling onto his chest. ''You're amusing when you're angry. Your accent is always more pronounced then. It's endearing.''

Nora squirmed in her brother's arms until she could lean her elbows against his chest and put her head into her palm. Then she dug her elbows perhaps a _little_ too harshly into his body. ''It's not as if you haven't got an accent. Each of us does.''

Running a hand through her by now tangled curls, Bianca looked down at them. '' _Please,_ just don't start an argument about whose accent is more pronounced now. We don't have the time for this.''

'' _We don't have the time for this.''_ Nico imitated their sister's voice. ''You're no fun, Bianca. Perhaps that's why _Papa_ thinks that you're the responsible one. I don't fault him, of course. Even gods make mistakes.''

The older girl smiled sweetly. ''Don't be jealous, _fratellino.''_

A grimace appeared on her twin's face, though he wisely chose to not continue that conversation. Still, dissatisfaction thrummed through their bond. It wasn't the only negative emotion the three of them were forced to feel due to their connection.

''Great, now that we've settled this, I believe that we should just go to the Dining Pavilion.'' Bianca had moved so that she stood next to the twin's dangling legs. She poked their knees with a finger and when they did not react she started rattling them violently.

''Do we have to?'' Nora questioned and tried to burry her head in her brother's chest. ''I'm tired.''

And she truly was. After letting go of her restrictions and fighting a horde of monsters, the teen felt utterly drained. Even though a few hours had passed, she could still hear the tortured screams of the dead. They were causing her a headache, thus only worsening her mood.

As if that wasn't already enough, the girl was also _cold._ No matter how hard she rubbed her hands, her skin just did not get even marginally warmer. A chill had taken a hold of her since the fight and Nora feared that it would never let go of her.

Her biggest problem, however, was the way the shadows kept moving around her. It signified how little control she had over her own powers right now. For normal people or even the children most gods and goddesses it would not haven been a problem, but it was for the offspring of the Big Three. A loss of control among them could cause severe earthquakes, storms and other natural catastrophes.

In other words: a high death count.

''We're here to represent our father, as such we can't appear _weak.''_ The conviction in Bianca's voice left no place for arguments. Nora knew that they would be going no matter what she said and yet she could not stop herself from uttering her displeasure.

''So we are to represent our father in a camp that neither wants him nor us. A camp that did not even deign to build him a cabin, even though he is the oldest of the Big Three.'' Pursing her lips, she continued her tirade. ''Although they never have and never will have children, both Lady Hera and Lady Artemis received the so called honor of having a cabin at camp. Our father did not. It's as if they all forgot whose realm they'll enter after death. At whose mercy they'll be.''

In this world there was no one Nora respected more than her father. He had taken care of his children even though he did not have to. Most gods did not even bother to pretend that they cared about their sons and daughters.

 _Hades loved them._

Whether her anger was caused by the shame she felt due to her earlier disrespectful outburst or the madness she could feel creeping upon her ever since then was insignificant. Nora felt very bothered by the lack of respect most gods and demigods showed towards her father.

Hades was the God of the Dead and ultimately each and every single mortal would have to answer to him.

Nico grit his teeth and tightened his arms around. ''What they think doesn't matter. Besides, it's not as if we've got a choice.''

The laugh that escaped the younger twin's lips was unintentional and bitter. ''We rarely do.'' She shook her head. ''Let's just get this over with.''

Getting up from the bed was easier said than done. Just to irritate her little more, Nico kept pushing her against his chest until Nora decided that she had enough and just bit his arm. The childish action prompted him to let go of her with a loud yelp.

''Can we go now?'' asked the youngest di Angelo sibling impatiently.

Standing up after rubbing his arm, Nico took a hold of her hand. ''Gods, you did not actually have to bite me, you know.''

''Would you have let go otherwise?''

He laughed a little sheepishly. ''Probably not.''

* * *

Nico loved his sisters _equally,_ though in different ways.

While he trusted Bianca to always make the right choices _―_ Unlike him and Nora, she knew what it meant to neutral _―_ Nora was the one who stopped him from letting go of his own rather meager sanity. Both of his sisters were the only mortal beings that could actually influence his actions and whose lives meant more to him than his own.

Still, none of that truly showed the difference between his feelings towards his two sisters. Though, to be honest, Nico did not believe that any words in world could. The easiest way, perhaps, was to just say that the love he felt for Bianca was one people felt for their family; warm, protective and all-encompassing. Nora, in turn, he loved like one should never love a sister; possessively and destructively.

She was _his_ twin and his _world_ and for her he would not mind burning down the entirety of humanity.

The Son of Hades knew that not many would accept those feelings. Knew that most would see them as a sin. And yet, at the end of the day, he just did _not_ care.

Just like he did not care about the fearful stares immediately directed at him and his sisters once they entered the Dinning Pavilion. If the campers were too bigoted to look past their heritage, then Nico did not need any of them.

As their father did not have a cabin or dinning table at camp, the three siblings were forced to move towards the one assigned to the Children of Hermes. A rather large space had been left free for them, the other children and teens making sure to stay out of their way.

Expertly, Nico ignored how obviously uncomfortable everyone felt due to his presence _―_ And it was his presence that caused most of the discomfort. Nora might have had a hard time controlling her powers, but it was Nico consciously radiated an aura of _fear_ and _death._ _―_ and sat down near one of the older daughters of Hermes. Nora was pulled down alongside him, while Bianca lowered herself onto a seat opposite of them.

The silence that had befallen the room once they entered it dissipated. Slowly, chatter filled the room and teens from all tables stood up to burn the sacrifices for the gods. Nico himself decided to follow that custom for once and after thinking of pasta and seeing it appear on the plate before him, the boy picked up his dinner and stood up from his seat.

As he expected, Nora followed his example, probably not trusting him to not start a fight without her there to intervene. Bianca just watched the two of them with curiosity shining brightly in her dark eyes.

The queue to the fire was a short one. Only four blonde kids stood before them and they finished the ritual with a visible haste. For moment, Nico had to forcefully stop himself from snorting in disdain. Weren't they all meant to be _brave heroes?_

By the time they reached the open flame, Nora's attention had already left him and moved on towards her food. Sometimes Nico wondered where his twin's priorities truly laid because chocolate seemed to be unnaturally high on that list.

And he wasn't even exaggerating, considering that the youngest di Angelo had just finished moving all of her chocolate topping from the part of the waffle she would sacrifice for their father onto the part she would still eat.

This time he did not even try stopping himself from snorting in amusement.

''Are you quite finished?'' He asked.

Nora smiled earnestly as she started moving some strawberries with her fork. ''Almost. I just have to move the strawberries, I doubt _Papa_ would have liked them anyway.''

Chuckling, the male twin put a hand on his sister's back and led her a little closer to the fire. ''Of course.''

Amusement coursed through their bond and Nico knew that he wasn't the only one amused by Nora's antics. Their father unsurprisingly shared his feelings.

He was the first to put a part of his food into the fire and was immediately rewarded with a warm wave of air and the smell of a freshly put out candle and _pomegranates._ It seemed as if their father was either getting pretty nostalgic _―_ First, the carvings on their new bed and now came the smell of that fruit. _―_ or Persephone had finally forgiven him his last indiscretion.

Maybe it was a mixture of both.

After making sure that all the things she wanted to eat were put to the side, Nora also slid half of her waffle into the blazing flames. Once again the comforting scent assaulted his nostrils and the feeling of father's presence filled the room. It accompanied them back towards their seats and allowed all three di Angelo siblings to relax minutely.

The rest of their dinner was a rather standard affair. They did not feel the need to exchange too many words in front of strangers and all three of them actually just wanted to leave and sleep, thus it was quite understandable that not only Nico but both of his sisters as well felt pretty irritated when Chiron interrupted them before they could stand up and go.

''I would like to ask all of you for some silence,'' the centaur started. ''As most of you know by now, today, three new special campers arrived. Due to the extenuating circumstances of their arrival, we have unfortunately not managed to greet them properly and as our custom dictates.''

Everyone was looking at Chiron and Nico could feel a slight curiosity settling in his stomach. Whose it was, he did not really know.

''Hades,'' said Chiron, his voice echoing through the whole room. ''The Rich One. The Silent One. The Lord of the Underworld. Hail, Bianca, Nico and Nora di Angelo, the Children of the God of the Dead.''

* * *

Hades had watched his children since the moment he found out about the newest prophecy. He knew that the time had finally come for them to leave their hideout and join the world once again.

More than once the god had to stop himself from interfering.

Watching his eldest being held hostage tested his patience almost as badly as his hastily bleeding out son. His youngest facing certain death ended up being the final straw.

Knowing that his actions would surely have unpleasant consequences did not deter him from saving Nora's life. It was an easy choice to make and one he did not regret, even when he was faced with the fire in his daughter's eyes and her partly true accusations.

There were many rumors about Hades. Most of them dark and true. Very few people ever uttered something good about him and they were not wrong in their judgments.

Because for all that he _loved_ his only living children, Hades was still a _god._ And gods were very selfish and cruel creatures that always got what they wanted.

This was a universal verity even his children had to suffer from.

For years now Nora had tried to escape the darker aspects of her heritage. She kept running from whom she truly was or least needed to be. As a child of his no happy future awaited his daughter. The girl needed to be strong enough to protect herself in case he could not.

 _Hades would not lose one of his children because of Nora's morality and reluctance._

If he had to force her to survive, force her to fight, then so be it. The god would not regret protecting his child, even if it meant making her temporarily unhappy.

When Nora finally grew up one day, she would come to understand his reasoning.

Until then he would make sure that no foe could ever strike her or her siblings down.

* * *

Fascination was not something Percy Jackson often felt.

Curiosity, yes, but almost never _fascination._ As such, it was almost worrying how intrigued he was by the newest additions of Camp Half-Blood.

Bianca, Nico and Nora were so very different from anyone else he has ever met that Percy could not help feeling perplexed.

For one, the three siblings obviously did not _belong._ During their second day at camp clothes had been provided for them. Percy would never forget the scandalized look on Bianca's face when she saw the shorts a daughter of Aphrodite had chosen for her. The skimpy bottoms were discarded within seconds and replaced by at least knee-length skirts and dresses.

Unlike her sister, Nora adjusted to the modern fashion more easily, though she still did not wear anything too short or too revealing.

There was no denying the fact that the di Angelos were lost in time. To them it must have seemed as if they had suddenly jumped from the 1940s to the 21st century. They were granted no time to adjust, instead a whole new world had been forced upon them.

Confused probably wasn't a strong enough word to describe how the three demigods felt. None of them knew how to operate modern appliances. Technology was something they knew very little about.

The only thing they most likely knew even less about was the history of the last few decades.

Percy could not even begin to imagine how it must have been to travel from a post-war world into their current one. Although he was not the best student to exist, the Son of Poseidon knew enough about World War II to realize that the other teens' childhood could not have been a too pleasant one, especially if they grew up in Italy.

And yet, despite living during times of war as children of one of the Big Three, the di Angelo siblings _survived._ They survived World War II, monsters and the Lotus Hotel. They arrived at camp and were capable of completely ignoring the fear and dislike of the other campers directed at them. Nothing seemed to phase the other demigods, not even the _disgust_ thrown in the twins direction.

He had not noticed it at first; the touches and glances Nico and Nora shared. After a while, however, it became hard to ignore reality.

 _Siblings did not look at each other that way._

Percy wasn't the only one to notice their _unusual_ behavior. Surprisingly though, he wasn't truly bothered by what he was seeing. In truth, he did not really know what he should think about the whole debacle.

Had he been a normal mortal, then there would have been no doubt about what he should think about them. The problem was that Percy Jackson was _not_ a normal mortal.

He was the demigod son of Poseidon and as such he was aware of how _real_ certain myths actually were.

Though, in all honesty, the boy could not have cared any less about what the gods were doing with their eternal lives. If they all wanted to go around sleeping with each other, he had no right to tell them to do otherwise.

As for the twins, in Percy's humble opinion, their lives were too short to worry about what others considered to be right or wrong. The sons and daughters of the Big Three rarely had happy lives and if those two made each other happy, then Percy would not be the one who tried taking that small slip of happiness away from them.

Knowing the Fates, neither of them would live long enough to actually do anyone harm with their relationship.

Nico and Nora di Angelo were fated to die young. The least they could be given was the freedom of choosing their loved ones by themselves.

''You should probably do some damage control, Percy,'' stated Grover as he pointed in the direction of the training fields. Even from afar, the Son of Seas could see the crowd that was slowly gathering around what seemed to be Annabeth with one of her siblings and the Children of Hades.

For a second guilt flooded Percy's chest. Only a few days ago Nico di Angelo had murdered Annabeth's brother in cold blood and now here he was being intrigued by the _madman_ and his sisters.

Standing up from his seated position on the grass, Percy stuck his hand inside his pocket and instantly started fingering the pen inside of it. Before the whole situation could escalate, the dark haired teen begun walking towards the crowd. In the middle of it stood Malcolm, a sneer on his lips and a sword in hand.

''You're a fucking psychopath,'' the blonde hissed as Annabeth took a hold of his arm.

The statement did not seem to have its intended effect on the person it was meant to insult. Nico di Angelo just smirked in the face of the other demigod's anger, smugness rolling off him in waves. ''Why, thank you.''

''Nico!'' It was Nora's displeased voice that most likely stopped her brother from saying anything else. Percy could see how the other boy visibly restrained himself from provoking Malcolm. He could also see that it was already too late to stop whatever was going down here.

''Before anyone does something we all are going to regret, I would like to propose a solution,'' Bianca spoke up, her eyes darting quickly to her sister. ''It's clear that you won't leave us alone no matter what we say. For obvious and understandable reasons, of course. I think that it would be wise to settle this _conflict_ now. How about a duel between you and myself?''

It was quite obvious what the dark haired girl was doing. She was trying to move Malcolm's attention onto herself and thus away from her brother. Personally, Percy thought that this wasn't such a bad idea. Nico was obviously the less merciful and more impulsive one of them, so it would be wiser if Malcolm fought one of the sister rather than him. The daughters of Hades would at least know how to restrain themselves.

''I don't want to fight you.'' Malcolm pointed at the male di Angelo with his sword. '' _He_ killed my brother.''

''Well, yes.'' As Percy watched Bianca scratch her head, he came to realization that he had never seen a more socially awkward person before. This was certainly not the right answer to give to someone who was accusing your brother of murder. ''I doubt you want to be the next one.''

Sighing loudly, Nora pinched her sister and stepped in front of her siblings. ''What my sister is so eloquently trying to say is that alone because of our heritage each of us has an unfair advantage over you and that we should try evening the wining chances slightly.''

Those few words sounded well enough in Percy's ears.

He should have known that they would cause him an immeasurable amount of problems. Why did he always get dragged into such situations?

Considering that the Fates seemed to hate him, one thing just had to lead to another until someone proposed that _he_ should fight _Nico di Angelo._

''That would be a fair fight,'' Annabeth agreed and her gaze moved towards him, a questioning glint appearing in her eyes. Percy knew how much this meant to her. A fight between him and Nico wasn't just about getting _revenge,_ it was about making sure that someone at camp was actually strong enough to challenge the di Angelo siblings. Without that knowledge many campers would not feel secure, especially due to the rumors that kept resurfacing about the Children of Hades each day. None of them painted his cousins in a good light.

Seeing the pleading look on Annabeth's face and Malcolm's posture, Percy knew that something needed to be done. A fight between Nico and him would at least be a fair one.

''Fine, but the fight stops as soon as one of us says so,'' the Son of Poseidon finally agreed. Percy took a second to consider the repercussions of fighting with a weapon of their own choice and decided that he preferred having the familiar weight of Riptide in his hand during this fight, even if it meant facing a weapon made of Stygian Iron. Fighting someone with such a weapon now would also prepare him for any future possibilities. ''We fight with a weapon of our own choice.''

The grin that stretched across Nico's face made him almost regret his decision.

''Alright,'' said the Son of Hades as he fumbled with the ring on his finger. It was not hard to guess what that ring truly was.

Curiously, Percy watched how Nora took a hold of her brother's arm and her eyes narrowed. ''Don't do anything stupid, Nico.''

''I promise. You don't have to worry about me.'' The younger boy's voice sounded a little mocking.

Almost imperceptibly, the female twin's gaze shifted towards Percy and the Son of Poseidon found himself quite disappointed when she switched to Italian. _''You know that it's not you I'm worried about. I know you, Nico, and I know what you're capable of. Because of his heritage Percy will be a worthy opponent, perhaps even stronger than you are. Unlike you though, he knows the meaning of mercy. He is not ruthless, so he will not fight to the best of his capabilities.''_ She bit her lip uncertainly. _''We don't need you severely wounding their Golden Boy.''_

''And now you wound me, sister.'' The smirk on Nico's face gained a sharp edge. It seemed to make Nora backpedal.

With a pale hand she reached out towards her brother's face and softly put it down on one of his cheeks. ''Nico, we are twins and I trust you to take care of yourself. There is no need for me to tell you to be cautious because I know that you would never leave me _alone.''_

She leaned forward then and pressed her lips onto Nico's skin. From afar it might have seemed as if she had just kissed his cheek, but Percy could see that it was actually the corner of Nico's mouth.

He looked away, not knowing whether he should feel uncomfortable or like a creep.

Things progressed quickly from then. The bystanders cleared the fighting area and created a big circle around it. For once no one seemed to mind the presence of the di Angelo sisters. Campers gathered around, standing right next to the two girls and already cheering Percy's name. Soon, it was only Nico, Annabeth and him left in the battle ring.

Worry was evident on Annabeth's face. ''You shouldn't have proposed fighting with weapons of your own choice, Seaweed Brain. We have no idea what his ring will transform into, neither do we truly know how the Stygian Iron will affect you.''

''It's too late to change my mind now, Wise Girl.'' He smiled. ''Everything will be alright.''

She nodded her head and left the ring after squeezing his arm. And then he was alone, standing across his opponent with Riptide forming in his hand. Nico smiled in amusement _―_ What seemed to be so amusing Percy had no idea. _―_ and stretched out his arm. His thumb slid over the skull ring and just as Percy had expected a sword appeared in his hand. It was slightly larger than his own and certainly more imposing. Just like Nora's spears, it seemed to call out to the shadows and radiate and an aura of fear and death.

Percy did not have much more time to contemplate the differences between their weapons because suddenly the other boy was upon him, Riptide managing to block his first strike in the last second. Nico was fast, unexpectedly so, but his strike lacked in strength. On nimble legs the other demigod moved out of Percy's range and then attacked once again. Stygian Iron moved towards Percy's left side, its coldness making him flinch out of the way instinctively and too late. While it did not manage to touch his skin, it did cut his orange Camp Half-Blood shirt.

In that very moment Percy knew that he had to create some distance between himself and the other boy. During the first few seconds of their fight Percy was able to discern a few things. First, Nico was certainly faster than him. Second, his strikes were less powerful than Percy's own. The boy might have been faster than him, but he was not physically stronger. Which was not a surprise when one considered his lanky frame.

''You're fast,'' commented Percy, hoping to win some time that way. Watching the boy like a hawk, the Son of Poseidon started moving slightly backwards. With the other demigod's speed, he did not have a chance at winning at such a close range.

Nico tilted his head to the side and regarded him knowingly. ''That's certainly not the best I can do.''

And then he was on him once again and Percy was forced to parry. They continued dancing that way and the Son of the Seas actually found himself enjoying the challenge the other boy represented. Their fight was a constant exchange of blows. One minute Percy had to give in, the other he was forcing Nico backwards with his strength.

Once Percy manged to cut his opponents cheek and it was by chance that he noticed out of the corner of his right eye how both Nora and Bianca immediately moved their hands to their own faces, exactly where Nico's new injury was. This was not the first time he noticed that curious phenomenon. With how much he had watched the siblings in the last week, it would have actually been worrying if he had not noticed that they seemed to be feeling each others pain. Percy wondered what the fact that this wasn't the weirdest thing he had ever seen said about him.

A following blow to his ribs made Nico stagger to the side and wheeze. Percy took advantage of the opportunity and thrust his sword towards the boy's momentarily unprotected side. Just as it was about to connect, Nico's eyes darkened until the pupil became indistinguishable from the iris. The air around them seemed to become heavier and colder, Percy's breath now a visible puff.

Before he could even think of a way to stop the other demigod, Nico just _disappeared._ A warm breathe ghosted over his ear as his opponent whispered from behind him, ''I told that I could do better.''

Whirling around, Percy was met with an empty space. Nico di Angelo stood more than five feet away from him and Percy suddenly knew that no matter how hard he tried, he could never match the other boy's speed.

''You should have defined more restrictions before the fight started. As it is, no one ever said that we could not use our powers.'' A chuckle followed that explanation and Percy might have actually started to worry if it were not for the lake nearby.

Acknowledging that he could not win against the other boy without using his own powers, Percy focused on summoning as much water as he could. He did it right in time to push Nico away with it during his next attack.

Drenched was quite an amusing look on the other boy.

It also fit perfectly the dozen or so spectators who stood too close to them. That was the least they deserved after getting him into this fight.

Percy grinned. ''You're not the only one with a few special abilities.''

Without further ado, the Son of Poseidon continued his assault. The water that now drenched the whole area informed him of the other boy's movements and allowed Percy to protect himself from the others teleportation.

Not perfectly though because he still gained a few new injuries which surprisingly the water could not heal immediately. It seemed as if the Stygian Iron had even more side effects than Percy had previously predicted. He found himself regret not thinking properly about the repercussion of being touched by it.

After all, now he could ascertain that there was nothing pleasant about the biting cold of the sword. The fatigue it caused him was even worse.

''There is a reason why Stygian Iron is the only metal capable of permanently killing monsters,'' Nico started as they broke apart, both of them panting heavily. ''It literally sucks out the life of those it touches and stores it inside of itself.''

Well, that certainly did not sound comforting. The shallow cuts on his skin suddenly gained a whole new level of severity.

Throughout their next collision, the earth _trembled._ Although it was Percy's farther who was known as the Earthshaker, the older boy knew that the earthquake was certainly not of his own doing.

His balance became non-existent, he fell and the water around him rose to protect him from the male twin's next attack. Percy used his chance and threw his opponent onto the ground next to himself.

The Son of Hades landed with a loud splash, mud immediately staining most of his clothes. It did not take him long to gather his bearings and heave his sword to the side.

Having no other choice, Percy let go of Riptide just in time to grab Nico's wrist, thus stopping the others weapon from advancing in his direction. This did nothing to deter the other boy as he chose to use his other fist and smash it straight in Percy's face.

With all his might, Percy squeezed the di Angelo's wrist until he had to let go of his sword, trying to ignore the blows delivered to his face all the while. His endeavor proved fruitful when not even a minute later he could feel something under his hand giving in.

Nico hissed and let go of his sword. It fell to the ground only a few inches away from Percy.

Both of them were now weaponless, though this seemed to matter very little to Nico. The other child of one of the Big Three would have probably continued to fight him if it were not for _Chiron's_ interruption.

From the sound of the centaur's voice, Percy knew that he was in trouble.

''That's enough,'' announced Chiron. ''It's a stalemate.''

And it was as he heard those words that Percy Jackson finally noticed the state of his surroundings. Due to the water he had summoned, a slippery mud now covered the whole training area. Weapons such as swords and spears had fallen from their racks most probably because of the earthquake Nico had caused. Most of the spectators had moved away, only a few of the brave ones staying behind to watch. Still, they did not dare come too close, preferring to stay at the edge of the training fields.

More than one of them was drenched and shivering from the unnatural cold that surrounded them.

Percy could feel the _power_ in the air, crackling and waiting to be unleashed.

Had Chiron not stopped them when he did, this exact power might have destroyed half of the camp.

That thought alone made him grit his teeth. ''I'm sorry, Chiron.''

''As you should be. A daughter of Demeter had been injured during your fight. This is not how Camp Half-Blood works.'' The centaur turned to look at Nico. ''You might be new here, but that does not excuse such behavior. Both of you'll be punished for this.''

Nico smiled wryly. ''Punished? You have no authority over me. Only our father does and if he doesn't show any disapproval at my actions, then I don't see why I should accept any punishment from _you_.''

''Hey!'' Percy turned his head sharply. ''We did kind of screw up here.''

''Why? Because we did what everyone else expected us to do?'' Questioned the younger demigod. ''Your little girlfriend pitted us, two Sons of the Big Three, against each other. Everyone just let it happen. What else did they expect but this outcome?''

''Still, you should have known better.'' Chiron sounded no less angry.

The Son of Hades smiled mirthlessly. ''You do realize you're talking to a kid who has been raised by his godly parent to not care about anyone but his sisters and himself.''

''Nico, that's enough.'' It was Nora who had finally managed to fight her way through the mud. Bianca seemed to prefer not dirtying her clothes, so she stayed at the edge of the field, her gaze alert.

The female twin turned to Chiron. ''I apologize for the destruction. It won't happen again.''

''Why do you always have to interfere, Nora?'' Nico regarded his sister disdainfully.

'' _Papa_ might not care about his fight, but he will care if we are thrown out of camp. There is a reason why he sent us here, Nico, and I've already angered him enough as it is. Don't do the same.'' That seemed to shut him up. Sighing heavily, Nico pushed himself onto his feet and allowed his sister to help him stand properly.

''I apologize.'' There was no true remorse in his voice. ''As my sister has said, it won't happen again. Now, please, excuse us. My wrist is broken, it's quite painful.''

With the help of his sister, Nico left them in the mud, his head held high and shoulders straight.

Percy Jackson still had no idea what he should think about the di Angelo siblings.


	18. A Divine Plan

**I finished writing this chapter about a week ago, but I somehow did not save it properly and more than half of it was lost. I was so irritated by this that I did not try writing it again for a few days.**

 **Fortunately, today I managed to finish this chapter once again. It's not as good as the previous version, but it will have to be good enough.**

 **Please leave a review.**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert]**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _Chapter 18_

 _A Divine Plan_

* * *

 _"Maybe everyone can live beyond what they're capable of."_

 _― Markus Zusak,_ _I Am the Messenge_ r

* * *

They were lounging around in the shadow of an oak tree. Bianca rested her head in Nora's lap, while Nico sharpened his sword next to them. A light breeze ghosted over their skin and offered them a reprieve from the heat of the day.

Just yesterday the fight between the two Sons of the Big Three had occurred. Since then the campers had been even more reluctant to approach the di Angelo siblings, but Nora did not mind that development too much. She had long since learned that prejudice could be a horrible thing and that there weren't many people in the world capable of looking past it.

''I wonder what it is that we are meant to do here,'' pondered Bianca out loud as she crossed her legs at her ankles.

Carding her fingers through her older sister's well groomed hair, Nora tilted her head towards the sun. ''Who knows, perhaps we're just meant to sit here and wait for the right moment to prove our greatness.'' She stopped talking for a moment and hummed. ''We could just as well follow Percy Jackson on one of his adventures. He seems like the kind of person that constantly gets himself into trouble.''

''Father has forbidden us to leave camp,'' Bianca pointed out, her eyes closed and expression relaxed.

A snort escaped Nico's lips and he raised his sword into the air. The dark metal seemed to absorb every single ray of sunlight. ''Rules have never meant much to us. Our biggest problem isn't _Papa's_ prohibition, but what he actually wants from us. If it is glory that he seeks, then he should not have trapped us in this place.''

''Perhaps his motives are slightly simpler.'' Nora smiled, the amusement clear in her eyes. ''I'm certainly not the only who has noticed his rather peculiar choices. I mean, come on, since when has _Papa_ liked the smell of pomegranates?''

''Are you insinuating that our father is keeping us here because he wants to enjoy a late honeymoon with Persephone?'' The oldest di Angelo sibling's voice was tinged with disbelieve, but she did not outright deny the possibility of such a cause.

Nico chuckled. ''One can never know when it comes to _Papa._ At the end, all this might end up being some character exercise, you know.''

''I prefer my idea, at least there is something romantic about it,'' uttered the younger twin after a few seconds of silence. Amused, she watched how taken aback her siblings looked due to that statement.

Bianca actually raised herself from her lap and regarded her suspiciously. ''Who are you and what have you done with my sister?''

It was hard to stop herself from laughing. ''What? Why?''

''You hate Persephone. Loathe her more than anything else,'' explained the older girl, putting a cool hand onto Nora's forehead. ''Maybe it's because of the sun. You've always been so fragile.''

''Fragile? I'm not fragile.'' She ignored Nico's mocking laughter. ''Anyway, I don't hate or loathe Persephone. I may not especially like her, that's true, however, it doesn't mean that I feel any negative emotions towards her.''

''That's not what I've observed,'' muttered Nico while lowering his sword onto the grass. Morbidly, both twins watched as the grass wilted under the weapon's touch.

''Well, to be honest, I actually feel kind of sorry.'' With a soft touch to the hilt, the sword turned back into a ring. Nora handed it to Nico without any delay. In their world, none of them could risk to be caught anywhere without a weapon. ''I doubt it's very pleasant to be forced to face your husband's countless bastards.''

The male twin grimaced. Although the Children of Hades were proud of their heritage, they still came from a time when being a bastard meant nothing good. They all remembered the rumors their mother had been forced to live with and the insults that were often thrown Maria di Angelo's way.

''Are you trying to make us feel sorry for her? Because if you are, then let me tell you that it's not working.'' With how much Nora knew about her sister, she had not expected any other answer from her.

''I'm not trying to do anything.'' Nora sighed. ''This is just how things truly are.''

Silence settled around them and Nora did not have in her to actually fight her siblings on this matter. It wasn't as if she liked her step-mother anyway. Persephone wasn't the most pleasant of people and Nora actually preferred being at camp rather than spending time with the goddess.

Though it would have been great to be allowed to step past Camp Half-Blood's borders. Altogether the youngest di Angelo sibling did not mind her newest accommodations. They might have been too loud at times and the company wasn't too great either, but their whole situation could have been a lot of worse. For example they could have been stranded outside of camp, without any protection against the monsters roaming the earth.

Nora new that they were actually really lucky to have an escape like the Underworld. Many claimed that the land of the dead was a horrible place and yet this was not the case for the teenage girl. The Underworld, for all its darkness and cruelty, was her _home._

Out of the corner of her eye, Nora noticed the jittery movement of her brother's legs. Their ADHD could be quite irritating at times, for both the affected and the onlookers. More than once had she sat at a table with one or both of her sibling and felt the furniture tremble underneath her plate because of some nervous quirk.

''We should go training. It's been a while since we last exercised and our injuries are certainly healed by now,'' suggested Nora, her eyes trained on her brother. Seeing the happy expression that appeared on his face, Nora congratulated herself. Making Nico happy was a lot harder than some might think.

Almost instantly after she stopped talking, Nico raised himself and dusted off his trousers. ''I'd like that.''

And that's how they found themselves walking through the camp towards the training area. Following Nico's and Percy's fight, the whole grounds had to be thoroughly cleaned and repaired. Fortunately, their hereditary abilities made the whole endeavor easier, so it only took slightly over a day to finish the job.

Though it was not as if the di Angelo siblings did much to help. Nico held the firm believe that he could not be blamed for what had happened and Nora could not really deny his logic. Her brother was not the one who started the fight. The campers chose to provoke him and goad him into a fight with another Son of one of the Big Three. Some might say that he should have known better, but the same could be said for everyone else involved.

Besides, no one could expect a fourteen years old boy to always make the right choices. Especially when he was as impulsive as her brother.

Additionally, Chiron should have expected something like this to happen sooner rather than later. In a camp filled with temperamental half-gods who had the abilities to cause major natural disasters incidents like this could not be uncommon.

Had it not been for the fact that a body bumped roughly into her, Nora might have taken some more time to contemplate this dilemma. As it was, she just stumbled backwards and a sound of surprise left her lips.

An apology was already on her lips when Nora realized that the boy that had bumped into her had already continued walking, not even stopping to see if she was alright. Not even a short apology was gifted to her and all Nora could suddenly feel was annoyance at the rudeness the other demigod displayed.

She could also feel Nico's anger and she knew that it would bode nothing good for them.

* * *

Nico, despite what his sisters might think of him, wasn't actually an impatient person. Only because he often _chose_ to ignore societal norms and acted rather rashly from time to time, it did not mean that he did not know how to control himself.

Fact was, that most of the time he just _preferred_ not to do it.

And yet, Nico did not let his temper get the best of him each time he did not like something. There were situations during which he had to exercise caution or when unleashing his temper upon someone would just seem foolish, thus Nico actually did not feel the need to smite each person that got even the slightest bit on his nerves. He did not feel the need to attack every stranger that wronged his sisters marginally.

But he did feel the need to teach a random demigod that had no manners whatsoever some respect. Growing up in the 1930s taught Nico what was socially acceptable and what was not. Perhaps those things had changed with time, but he doubted they did so overly much.

If a gentleman bumped into a lady, then he should very well know to apologize.

Eyes narrowing, Nico turned towards the blonde kid that had previously treated his sister so rudely. He was just about to offer the other demigod his opinion when a familiar voice interrupted him.

''Hey, hey.'' A hand landed on his shoulder and Nico just so managed to stop himself from throwing Percy Jackson reflexively over his shoulder. ''Don't...just...I'm really sorry for him.''

''Excuse me?'' Personally, Nico did not have anything against the Son of Poseidon. The older boy knew how to fight properly and despite his rather goody two shoes personality, he still seemed to be tolerable. That status would change soon though if he did not let go of Nico.

Among all the things Nico disliked, being touched by strangers was almost highest on that list. Though it was easily trumped by someone daring to tell him what to do.

Percy had done both and if he did not explain himself soon, Nico would probably not stop himself from leashing out.

''Like I said, I'm really sorry for his behavior,'' repeated the older demigod. ''Pollux is going through a hard time. A while ago his twin brother was killed during the Battle of the Labyrinth.''

And that literary froze the Italian in place. If there was one thing Nico feared above all else, then it was losing his _twin._ He could not even begin to fathom how such a loss must have felt for this Pollux.

Nora was his world and a life without her was not a life worth living. There had not been a time when Nico had ever been without his twin. It was always the two of them.

Nico and Nora.

Nora and Nico.

And as the young Son of Hades recognized the rather startling verity that this unknown demigod had lost his own equivalent of _Nora_ , he felt something inside of his chest stir.

Out of the di Angelo siblings, Nico was the most cruel one. And yet, as he watched that blonde head disappear in the crowd, Nico di Angelo, for the first time in _years,_ felt _sorry_ for another being.

With the feeling of pity inside his chest, he turned away from the boy who had lost much more than Nico could ever bear to lose and took a gentle hold of Nora's hand.

Instead of letting go of his control and humanity, Nico let go of his anger for once and swore not to harm Pollux.

For once in his life, the only living Son of Hades did the right thing.

* * *

It was a curious thing, watching the fire inside Nico di Angelo's eyes being put out by a few words. Just the mention of a twin's death seemed to be enough to lower the normally so proud posture of the boy into a hunch.

Percy had never seen the other demigod so _human._

Normally, Nico reminded him immensely of his father. He did not only share the god's looks, but also seemed to have inherited a huge part of his personality from him.

Unfortunately, being compared to a god was not a compliment. Especially when that comparison was prompted by the madness that clouded Nico's eyes.

''Well, anyway, I didn't just come here to you know.'' The Son of Poseidon waved his hand in Pollux's direction. ''I actually just came to tell you that I'll be leaving camp today. I've already missed more than a week of school and I can't risk missing more.''

Nora blinked in confusion, probably wondering why he felt the need to tell her this. The truth was that Percy felt a certain responsibility towards the di Angelo siblings. After all, he was the one who led them out of the Lotus Hotel and brought them to camp. The least he could do was making sure that the other three children of one of the Big Three were save and had everything they needed.

Cooking her head to the side, Nora smiled an unsure smile. ''Alright? I hope you'll have fun?''

Percy grimaced. ''I highly doubt that.''

''Why? School can't be that bad,'' questioned Nora, her head tilting curiously to the side.

''You know, the dyslexia and ADHD don't make things at school easy,'' Percy said while scratching his head sheepishly. ''Haven't you ever been to school?''

The youngest living child of Hades shook her head. ''No, our father had us home-schooled.''

''Ah,'' was his rather intelligent answer. A short silence followed in which Percy tried to think of something interesting to say. ''That's cool.''

There was a short pause before Nora nodded her head. ''Yeah.''

Looking to the side, Percy noticed Bianca eyeing him weirdly. This prompted the appearance of a small grimace on his face.

Nico snorted, ''This is probably the most awkward conversation I've been a part of in a few years. I did not think that there was someone else in the world who could compare to Nora in that respect.''

At Percy's glare, the younger boy laughed. ''Five minutes haven't even passed since this whole thing started.''

''Thanks, dude,'' muttered Percy, the sarcasm in his voice was loud and clear.

''Dude?'' the Son of Hades repeated. His voice was tinged with so much confusion that Percy felt like he would burst into laughter any second now. He managed to stop himself, but a snort still escaped his lips. ''What's a dude?''

''It's just like we call each other nowadays.'' Percy scratched his head, a small grin forming on his lips. ''You know like guy or something.''

Nico turned his gaze towards his giggling sister. ''I see.''

''Yeah,'' said Percy, his lips twitching upwards without his consent. It was hard not to feel amused at the way the younger boy's expression seemed to darken, while his twin's did the exact opposite.

Soon, Nora was laughing loudly and Percy found himself joining her.


	19. Following The Fates

**This story is now about half-way finished! I am not sure if I am moving forward a little too fast. If it seems that way, just tell me.**

 **The last scene of this chapter was a little hard to write, so I hope that it is convincing enough.**

 **Please leave a review.**

 **Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. [SI, Self-Insert/Oc-Insert]**

 **Have fun**

* * *

 _Chapter 19_

 _Following The Fates_

* * *

 _"An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind."_

 _― Mahatma Gandhi_

* * *

Had they been normal children, then staying at Camp Half-Blood might have actually been pretty entertaining. As it was, Nora and her siblings were used to traveling around the world and never staying at one place for too long. For all its beauty and wondrous inventions, camp just could not compare to Holland's rainbow-hued fields of tulips or the large pyramids in Egypt. The scenery at their newest abode got dull very quickly and Nora found herself bored withing little more than a week.

Their stay there was only made worse by the fact that they did not even know the reason for their forced imprisonment.

At the end, it was not surprising that one of them chose to go against their father's choices. The only thing Nora found surprising was that it took more than a month for one of them to _snap._ Even more surprising was that it was _her_ who broke Hades' prohibition.

''I'll take you,'' said Nora, looking squarely into Percy Jackson's eyes.

Nico sputtered. ''You'll take him?''

''Yes.'' The conviction in her voice was unmistakable. Any other time, Nora might have hesitated uttering words that could anger both her father and brother, but she did not have a choice in this case. ''I'll take him to the Underworld.''

She had to do this. There was prophecy to be fulfilled, a war to be fought, and Percy Jackson, as the Chosen One, needed to be strong enough to save the world.

When the Son of Poseidon had come to them with his request, Nora had not know whether she should cry or laugh. Only three weeks had passed since Percy had left camp to go back to school. Only three weeks had passed since their last rather awkward conversation.

Nora could still not fathom why he felt the need to say goodbye to _them_ of all people. Neither could she stop herself from cringing at how awkward that one conversation had been. The girl did not think that she had ever had such an awkward talk with someone before.

Though, Percy Jackson's social incompetence did not matter when they were faced with the impending apocalypse. Bianca and Nico might not have known about what was awaiting them in the future, but Nora did.

The youngest Child of Hades knew that a war was looming on the horizon and if she did not decide to help, then their future might be lost. Invulnerability was a necessity for Percy to win the upcoming conflict. It was also something that could be only granted to him in the depths of the Underworld.

''So, let me get this straight, not only are you planning to disobey our father's instructions but you also want to accompany a Son of Poseidon into the Underworld,. Are you completely out of your mind?'' inquired Bianca, the tone of her voice making very clear what she thought about the whole idea.

''Well, like I already said, _yes.''_ Nora almost rolled her eyes at her siblings' dramatics. She knew that her actions would have repercussions. That her father would certainly punish her for them, but it wasn't as if she really had a choice.

In the original timeline, Nico had been the one to help Percy Jackson receive his invulnerability by bathing in the river Styx. This time around, her twin certainly wouldn't be risking his neck for the Son of Poseidon which meant that Nora had to do it.

Their side needed to win the war and if achieving that goal meant angering her father, then so be it. She could not risk Percy dying and the prophecy moving to one of her siblings or Kronos wining and choosing the Underworld as his next plane of conquest. Hades might have been a powerful god, however, he certainly wasn't powerful enough to beat a whole army of titans.

If Percy Jackson were to lose this war, then it would be their end.

Sighing, Nico took a hold of her hand and squeezed it lightly. '' _Papa_ won't be happy.''

''You don't have to come with me,'' uttered Nora earnestly. ''I'll go with or without you.''

That actually made her brother reel backwards. For a second he looked as if she had slapped him and then his eyes proceeded to darken. ''You believe that I would actually ever leave _you? Abandon you?''_

She shook her head vehemently. ''Of course not. This has nothing to do with abandonment. I'm not going anywhere dangerous. You know as well as I do that there is no safer place for us than the Underworld.''

There was a short silence during which Percy averted his eyes. The Son of Poseidon did not seem to be comfortable with their current situation. This was a thought that made Nora almost smile in amusement.

''You don't have to be punished for my actions, Nico,'' confessed the youngest di Angelo, a hesitant smile blooming on her face.

He hummed. ''I doubt _Papa's_ punishment will be too severe. And if it is, then it's all the more a reason for us to stay together.''

Nora's expression softened. Although there wasn't anything in the world she would not do for her siblings, it was still astounding to see the depth of their loyalty for her. As Nadia the girl never thought that such a loyalty even existed, let alone that she would be gifted with such an extraordinary present. And yet, here she was, willing to sacrafice the world for the safety of her brother and sister.

''As your older sister I haven't got much of a choice here, do I?'' Bianca fiddled nervously with one of her hairpins. ''Someone's gotta protect you two.''

A relived laugh escaped Nora's lips. ''Someone should probably talk to _Papa._ Considering that is my idea, I might as well volunteer, huh?''

''Yeah, unfortunately for you, that's how far my loyalty goes. You can explain this mad idea of yours by yourself and also keep him away long enough for us to get Percy in and out,'' said Nico, a smirk gracing his lips.

''Lovely.''

* * *

Entering the Underworld, Nico immediately felt at home. It had been too long since he had last basked in the safety of his father's domain. Though this time it wasn't as pleasant as it used to be in the past. This time the Son of Hades could feel his father's dissatisfaction coursing through the air.

It wasn't a nice feeling.

Nora had already shadow-traveled to a different location than them, so it was just Bianca, Percy and him. From where they were standing, Nico could see both the Fields of Asphodel and river bank of the Styx.

The Underworld, despite what the rumors said about it, wasn't a truly bad place. It was dark, yes, and certainly dangerous for those not welcome there, but despite that it was still Nico's _home._ Together with his sisters, the Son of Hades has spent his childhood running through the Fields of Asphodel and walking alongside the shores of the different rivers. He had lived life among the dead and there was something instinctively comforting about their presence.

Percy Jackson very obviously did not share his opinion. This was something Nico noted with a bitter and rather vicious satisfaction.

The other boy had no idea what kind of punishment they would have to face due to his request and although Nico did not really know either, he was smart enough to guess that it would be nothing pleasant.

Their father would never truly harm them which was something the young demigod took comfort from.

And yet, he wasn't foolish enough to believe that they would get away with just a light slap to their wrists. Of all the things Hades was, _forgiving_ wasn't among them.

''We have to climb down the cliff as I doubt that _Papa_ will let us shadow travel again,'' Bianca said as she pointed towards the Styx and Nico winced at the reminder of their father's anger. If the god chose to, he could hinder them from using their powers.

Quite honestly, Nico wasn't all that willing to test their current limitations.

Sighing, he decided to try finishing their task as fast as possible. Dallying would not change their predicament. ''Come on, if we wait too long someone might try to stop us.''

* * *

She stepped out of the shadows before the entrance to Hades' throne room, her palms sweaty and fingers wriggling nervously. The hesitance in each of her steps was very visible and she did nothing to hide it.

Having her non-existent confidence mistaken as arrogance would do her no good. Neither would antagonizing her father with platitudes. Nora knew that she had to be honest in her approach. Hades could easily distinguish the truth from her lies and he would not react well if she tried to tell him some utter bullshit.

The only problem the girl had was that she could not exactly tell her father the whole truth.

Although Nora wasn't arrogant enough to believe that Hades did not know that there was something _different_ about her - He was the God of the Dead and she had once been a very _dead soul_ that came back to life. If nothing else, her father should at least feel that her soul seemed to be older than her body. - she still wasn't too keen on telling him the whole _truth_ about her existence.

(...how could she tell him that Nico was supposed to be his only _living_ child...

...

...that Bianca should have _died_ a few years ago...

...

...

...that she herself was _never_ supposed to exist in this world...)

As such she had to come up with an explanation that would justify something Hades might consider to be a betrayal of his trust.

Still, that wasn't even her hardest task. Nora almost laughed hysterically as she thought about the fact that she also had to convince her father to assists the demigod forces in the upcoming war.

''Don't just stand there, girl,'' murmured a very familiar voice, startling Nora out of her thoughts and making her whirl around to face the sudden intruder. The look on her face must have been very telling because Persephone rolled her eyes in annoyance and pushed past her.

Before the demigod could ask her stepmother for a few more minutes, the goddess opened the door into the large throne room and entered it with her head held high.

Sighing loudly, Nora resigned herself to a rather unpleasant conversation. There was no way around it, especially now that the god had set his sight upon her.

 _The look he sent her way was deadly._

With something akin to a sneer on his face, Hades said: _''Nora.''_

The tone of his voice was enough to alert her of the trouble she had gotten herself into. It was only highlighted by the way her surroundings seemed to tremble due to his anger and the fact that he had actually used her _name._ When they were alone, Hades always addressed his children with different pet names. Most of the time it was just 'Daughter' or something akin to it.

Him using her name signified how angry he was with her.

Trembling hands reached out to push a lock of her hair behind her ear and Nora lowered her gaze. ''I believe that I owe you an apology, _papa.''_

''An apology?'' His eyes narrowed. ''What do you hope to accomplish with an apology?''

Nora's shoulders hunched and her fingers fiddled with the sleeves of her shirt. ''I hope to receive your forgiveness for the disrespectful way I have addressed you with after you _saved_ my life.'' She paused. ''That's not the only thing that needs to be forgiven. Though, before I ask you to show me forgiveness for another one of my betrayals, I would like to ask you to listen to my reasoning, _papa.''_

Any other time this proclamation might have sounded unnecessarily dramatic, but this very moment, Nora was walking on a very thin line. Should Hades choose to go against what the Fates actually had in store for them, then they would be forced to face catastrophic consequences. ''I know that you don't exactly get along with your family.'' _The understatement of the century._ ''So I won't ask you to help them. What I want to ask of you is to think about _us._ When Olympus falls, what fill be the Titans next place of conquest?''

Lowering her gaze onto the dark marble floor, Nora continued speaking before she could talk herself out of it. ''You're very powerful, _papa,_ but you're not powerful enough to beat the whole titan army by yourself.''

''It's quite bold of you to ask me to fight for my brothers,'' said the god after a few seconds of silence. ''Watching them fall would be way more pleasant. Afterwards, I could keep the gates to the Underworld closed. If the titans can't enter my domain, they can't conquer it.''

That wasn't exactly wrong, Nora was forced to acknowledge. For a while, at least, her father could certainly keep his enemies from entering their home.

 _But for how long would that while last?_

Cautiously, Nora licked her dry lips and tried to keep her voice from sounding too hysterical. ''You would spent the rest of eternity trapped here? What about Bianca, Nico and me? Would you force us to live out the rest of our lives in the Underworld only so that you could get your revenge on your family?''

''You grew up here, Nora. You consider this place your home,'' he uttered as his gaze met hers. ''Would it truly be so bad to spent your life here?''

Instead of answering immediately, the youngest child of Hades decided to contemplate her next words very carefully.

Millennia ago her father had been forced into the Underworld. Despite being the oldest of the Big Three, Hades had been shown an immense disrespect by the other gods. He had spent an unimaginable amount of time in this dark domain, more than Nora would ever have to.

As such, answering her father's question with a definitive 'yes' would not be right. It would make it seem as if she believed that the Underworld was just a place full of nightmares, not somewhere she considered to be her only save haven.

''Your domain is the only place in which I feel truly safe, _papa,''_ begun Nora uncertainly. ''If push comes to shove, I would prefer to live out the rest of my life here rather than among the living. However, is that something you want for yourself as well? Unlike me, you have an eternity before you.''

Almost morbidly, the girl watched her father's lips tilt up in wry amusement. ''No one lives forever, my child. Even we gods will fall some day.''

''And yet, without the titan army storming our home, we could exist for much longer,'' interjected a female voice. Persephone, who had previously settled down next to her father, was now raising herself from her own throne. The goddess' head was tilted to the side as her unusually green eyes regarded Hades. ''You should stop playing with the girl. We both know that we do not have much of a choice when it comes to fighting in the following war.''

Nora was certain that her eyes must have been as wide as dinner plates, yet she did nothing to change that. In all of her life, Persephone had never done something to help her which made her current actions seem almost surreal.

''I see.'' Hades regarded his wife carefully. ''You've already made your choice.''

Persephone raised her chin defiantly. ''Just as you have, so why don't you stop trying to punish _Nora_ through such roundabout ways.'' The demigod had never heard someone say her name with such distaste. ''If you truly want her to suffer because of her actions, I can just turn her into a dandelion for a few days.''

Hades eyes flashed in annoyance and slight anger as he watched his daughter flinch and move a step backwards. ''You will not interfere, my dear wife.''

''And you will fight for our future,'' she countered.

Nora's shoulders sagged in relief when she saw her father nod his head almost imperceptibly.


End file.
